Second Chances
by theinfinitexsadness
Summary: Edward and Bella parted ways after high school and never spoke again. 5 years later, when Edward dies in a car crash, Bella gets the chance to live out what could have been if she made a different decision 5 years ago. AH, HEA. Rated M for adult themes and language.
1. The End of the World

**_I don't own Twilight or it's characters, that's all Stephenie Meyer's department. The only thing I own is the plot setup and maybe some characters that I might make up in the future. This story is also mostly BPOV._**

**_BPOV_**

_I'm never drinking again,_ I think to myself as I roll over and look at the alarm clock on my nightstand; _8:43 am_. _Great._ _That's the last time I go shot-for-shot with Jake_. But who am I kidding? I know it's going to happen again and again, just as when someone swears off drinking, there they are the following night, drinking. It was opening night last night and he owns the place, so _I had an obligation to be there_, as Jake had said. Apparently every other bar or club in the area is getting boring, so Jacob invested in starting his own. It must be nice coming from old money; his father and stepmother flew down here and helped him open the place. I must say, it's incredible. It's not even the kind of club that you'd think it is. It's basically a two-story sports bar, with the first floor being a bar, accompanied by a dancing area, as well as a stage for any bands that need a place to jam. The second floor, led by a winding and floating staircase, is complete with a bar, booths and tables. Further towards the back is complete with a good handful of pool tables. It's all open concept, no walls. It's actually amazing and I'm so proud of him. Last night, from what I remember, was a really good time. The club was called _Eclipse _(I know, right? how original) and in the first night, it was a hit; though most LA clubs are. We expected it to be successful, but never did we think it was going to explode with success in just the first night. Jacob and I had a blast. I can't remember a time where I was more proud of my best friend.

My head is pounding but yet I somehow manage to get out of bed and walk to the kitchen to get some Gatorade. _Hello, hydration._ Suddenly my phone starts making noise. Jake, of course.

_How's the head this morning? - JB_

I picture the look on his face at this very moment. Sometimes I want to punch that asshole in the face, but, you know, that's friendship. He's probably hung over too, the jerk.

_My head is fine, it's my body that hates me. Thanks to you and those Pornstar shots, asshole. Wanna go for breakfast? - BS_

_Sure. Where do you wanna go? – JB_

_Don't care. Bella needs food. Preferably waffles though. – BS_

I jump into the shower and throw on some black yoga pants and a green tank top. I put on a light grey cardigan, grab my keys and then there's a sound at the door and I know what it is. The newspaper's being thrown against my door and I watch as my morning mail slips through my mail slot. I open up the door and retrieve the paper from the floor.

"Morning, Bella!" Jessica Stanley greets me, as per usual. She's my friendly neighbour. She has a vast number of different guys (or sometimes, girls) come up to her apartment every week, sometimes in groups. I don't hate the girl. Hell, sometimes we go out for drinks. But she's just one of those girls that you can only handle in small doses. Half the time, I don't really care what she has to say because she's very superficial and a lot of the times, oblivious. You can only hear someone talk about penis so much before you consider lesbianism. Though I will admit, she's a riot when drunk.

"Morning Jess. How was your night last night?" I ask, not really interested.

"Mmm...it was _good_. Mike came over last night after we came to check out Jake's new club- which, by the way, is totally my new regular hang out! I'm so proud of Jakey!" She says with a smile.

_Jakey._ She and Jake hooked up once, and from what he had told me, it was the worst decision of his life. And I know why, it's because the noises that she makes are enough to make a man _abort mission_, if you know what I mean. The only thing I can compare the noise to is a cross between a high-pitched donkey and a furby. _My god, remember those?_

I smile at her, while inside I'm gagging, at the mention of Mike Newton_; _the only man who repeats his visits to her apartment. He's the only _regular,_ I guess you could say. He comes over whenever she's lonely enough to text him. He's a nice guy, a little dense though. He had a thing for me at one point, until he started sleeping with Jessica. Poor guy, he seems to think that they're actually going to become something legitimate one day. He often shows up with flowers, candy, movies, and don't even get me started on what he does on Valentine's Day.

After a brief chat with Jessica, I close the door. I'm about to toss the newspaper on my table and leave when the front page catches my eye. _It's about Jake's Club! _

_"Newly opened Eclipse proves to be the new sheriff in town. Owner Jacob Black dominates the strip with all-around entertainment. Full Review, Pg 10"_

I put the paper down, eager to turn on the tv to see it it's made the news. When I turn the channel, there's a news report about a car wreck. The caption at the bottom of the screen reads _"Young man in Volvo gets crushed in main intersection."_

_Oh no, that's terrible_. I continue to watch and see pictures of the wreck. The news reporter is in front of where the week had occurred, and she's just outside of where the yellow caution tape is wrapped.

_"At approximately 5:03 am, young man from a small town in Washington is crushed by a head-on collision after attempting to make a turn, due to a teenager running a red light._ _Edward Cullen, 23, was killed instantly in a head-on collision this morning. The driver in the other car, Tyler Crowley, 17, was minorly injured, and is in the hospital-"_

I instantly froze.

_"Crowley, who is suspected to have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol, was taken to the hospital for stitches, and was arrested upon arrival. Edward Cullen was the son of well-known Washington doctor Carlisle Cullen and his wife, Esme Cullen, a successful interior designer. No statements have been made from the Cullen family upon this time. Stay tuned for more information regarding the accident at 11"_

_Edward Cullen...my Edward?_

_._

_._

_._

_._

_._

**I know, it was short. Don't worry, it was only an intro.**

**You don't have to review, but feedback is nice.**

**:)**


	2. Our Farewell

**_-CHAPTER 2-_**

Edward Cullen was dead? No...

_Not my Edward._

I sat there on my couch for what seemed like years, when Jake texted me.

_Okay, I'm leaving now. See you soon. - JB_

I almost ignore the text altogether. All I can do is sit still. And then, I do what anyone would do. I start to cry.

Edward and I weren't even on speaking terms anymore since I ended things, but I still don't know how to feel. Edward, the great love of my life whom I had never fully gotten over. I close my eyes as the tears start to really fall and I remember those piercing green eyes and brown hair; his beautiful face and perfectly toned body. I remember his lips and how they used to feel against mine. I remember his soft hands that provided the gentlest heated touch. I remember the last moment I ever saw him, the biggest mistake that I ever made. The moment I left him at the airport.

**5 YEARS AGO:**

_Can we hurry this fucking line up? _I groan to myself_. _I'm last in line, and it wouldn't be so bad if there weren't about 3 families in front of me, one of them being about the size of the family in Home Alone._ I just want to leave and get this over with. I'm such a coward, I can't even say goodbye. Such a coward. Ugh, get on the plane, Bella. Don't look back, just leave. _After what seems like a lifetime, it's finally my turn to hand the attendant my ticket and board the plane. I'm startled upon hearing my name.

"BELLA!" Edward's voice. I break into a cold sweat. _There goes my plan._

I turn around and I see Edward walking toward me.

He walks up to me and wraps his arms around me. I can't speak. All I can do is cry and inhale his scent for what I know is the last time. He places his hands on my face and kisses me.

"How dare you do that to me, Bella? You leave me a fucking letter and leave without even talking to me? What were you thinking, baby? Let's talk about this, you don't have to do this. It can work. I love you."

I pull away from him.

"Edward, I love you too, but this has to happen. I'm sorry. How am I supposed to go to school in Boston while you go to school here? I don't see how that's going to work; living on opposite sides of the country? No, Edward, I can't do that."

"No, Bella. You don't understand. I can't live without you. We'll visit each other on holidays, and-"

"Yeah," I cut him off. "Until we can't do that anymore and the phone calls and emails stop because we get too busy and it gets to be too much and we have this awkward break up over the phone…no, this is how it has to be, Edward." I start to shake. He has to know how much this is actually killing me.

"You can't possibly think that I can bear watching the love of my life get on a plane, knowing that she's not mine anymore. Look, Bella…" He pulls a velvet box out of his pocket. "Look what I had planned for us." His voice is barely above a whisper now, as he grabs my hand. "You can't end it. You're my future. I believe in us, Bella, we can do this."

My emotions were getting the best of me. I couldn't handle this. I snatched my hand away from Edward's, shaking my head, in tears. "I'm sorry, Edward, I can't do it. I love you. Please, no matter what, never forget that and know that this is killing every particle in my body. Please, just let me go."

The attendant is sympathetic, but she clears her throat in urgency. Her words are gentle, yet desperate. "Miss, I'm sorry, but will you be getting on this plane? We're about to take off and you need to go find your seat."

"Y-yes, I am. I'm coming," I say. I kiss Edward with everything in me, as we're both crying now. I whisper that I love him and he finally lets me go.

As I board the plane, I leave Edward standing where I left him, with an engagement ring in one hand, and a broken heart in the other.

* * *

I leave my apartment to meet with Jake and when I get to the diner his face immediately changes from a smug smile to a worried expression.

"Bells? What happened?" He looks genuinely worried about my well-being.

"Let's get a table." I say. He nods with caution and puts his hand on my back, indicating that I lead the way.

"Bella, you are scaring me. There is no colour in your face," He points out.

"I-I just…have you watched the news lately?" I ask.

"Well, no," he says, "I don't usually. Why? For god sakes Bella, tell me what happened!"

"Edward Cullen." I say.

"Okay, what about him?" He asks. I know I'm pissing him off, but I just can't find the words.

"He…he died this morning. There was a car- a car accident." I finally get it out.

His forehead drops. "Oh, fuck. Shit, Bella. I'm so…oh my god, come here." He grabs me as I sob into his chest.

I let everything out onto Jake's shirt, as he holds me. "I know, Bella, I know."

"He was going to marry me, Jake. One day, he was going to marry me. I was too much of a coward to even contact him after school ended. He and I could still be together now if I had just-" Jake interrupts my word vomit, "Bella, don't you dare sit there and try to blame yourself, even indirectly for the way that things turned out, okay? It won't bring him back. I know you're broken, but you have to grieve properly, and to not grieve out of guilt."

I reach for a napkin on the table and wipe my eyes and blow my nose. I gently lay my head onto Jake's shoulder, sniffling. We sat in silence for a few seconds, before Jake spoke again.

"Have you talked to them yet?" He asks, and I know that he's referring to his family. I straighten up my posture and stare at the menu. Who am I kidding? There's no way I can even force myself to eat anything right now.

"No, not yet, and I really don't know how I'm going to be able to do that," I say, honestly.

"Do you want me to call them?" He asks.

"No, no. I can do that. But maybe you could come with me? Oh shit," I slam my hand the table. "You can't, your club just opened, fuck."

"Bella, don't worry about that, I can get Sam to run it on my behalf. This is important and you need me there." He says.

He moves to get up. "Fuck breakfast, let's go." He takes my hand and leads me out of the diner. I get into my car as Jake says "I'll call and schedule a flight to Seattle and I'll text you the details. Go home and pack and I'll come get you in an hour. When you get home, call the Cullens and tell them that we're coming to Forks. Tell them we're coming home."

* * *

I open my door to my apartment and immediately start packing. After about half an hour, my phone starts buzzing.

_Noon flight, non-stop to Seattle. We'll be there at about 2:30. - JB_

I put my phone down and grab my house phone. _Here goes nothing._

I figure that the person I should call is Alice. After dialing her number and hanging up three times, I finally gain the courage to wait for the dial tone.

"Alice Cullen," I hear her say, her voice clearly grief stricken. I say nothing.

"Hello?" She says, and waits for a response. I still say nothing, but I know she can probably hear me breathing. I hear a slight shuffle in the background, and then she speaks.

"Bella?" She whispers. She knows it's me. She's been expecting my call.

"A-Alice…" My voice croaks, trying extremely hard to hold back my tears.

"I knew you'd call, Bella, I just knew it."

"I'm-I'm so sorry, Alice," I say. "I just don't know what to-" I begin, but then I stop, "I'm coming home, Alice. Me and Jake, we're coming home."

She doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "What time is your flight?"

I'm relieved at her urgency. "At Noon, we're landing in Seattle-Tacoma Airport at 2:30."

"Okay, sounds good." She says, as she silently curses the time difference. "Jasper and I will pick you up at the airport. and Bella?"

"Yeah?" I ask.

"I just wanted to say that despite the circumstances, I can't wait to see you."

My throat tightens. The day I left Edward, I never really took into consideration how much my leaving would affect Alice. I hated myself for what I did to not only Edward, but to Alice as well. Alice was my best friend and I let her down just as badly as I had Edward.

"Me too, Alice. I know that there are things to say, but..."

"Bella," She cuts me off. "Let's just get you here safe. There's time for that later."

"Okay," I agree, "I'll see you soon."

We say our goodbyes and for the first time today, those grey clouds covering me have a patch of light shining through, purely by the thought that I'm finally going to see Alice again, and the family that I had left behind.

* * *

"God, I fucking hate flying," I say to Jake after take-off. The seatbelt signal dims and we relax as we take them off.

He chuckles. "I don't really understand why, Bells. It's not that big of a deal. You just gotta learn to embrace it." I turn my head and look at him.

"Embrace my fear of flying?" I ask. "Okay, why don't you embrace your fear of clowns? _They're_ not that big of a deal," I say, throwing his words back at him.

"Clowns are not a fucking joke. They're creepy and silent and just waiting for the right opportunity to kill you. Those baggy outfits? Yeah, concealed weapons. Not even guns, but the more torturous weapons- knives, machetes, meat cleavers…" **[A/N: Yeah, I'm definitely terrified of clowns.] **He trails off, looking at me like a kid who believes that there's still a boogey man in his closet. But knowing Jake, he's more like the child scared of the _evil monkey_ in his closet. I start to laugh, and god, does it feel good to laugh.

"Anyways," He clears his throat. "I think I have just what you need to get your mind off of the flight."

I narrow my eyebrows at him. "What do you mean?"

He smirks. "Wait 5 minutes and then meet me in the bathroom."

"Jake!" I almost yell. "I am _not_ joining the mile high club with you. I can't believe tha-"

He rolls his eyes. "Oh my god, Bella, shut up." He reaches into his pocket. "I mean that I brought this." He pulls out a small ziploc bag that held a few grams of weed. "It will help you relax."

My jaw drops almost to the floor. "Jacob Black, how in the fuck did you get through security with that?"

"Easy, because I'm a genius." He moves to get up. "Well, yes or no? Either way, _I'm_ going to."

"Well, I guess so, if that's the only thing that'll help." He gets up and starts walking. When he reaches the bathroom, he looks back and puts his hand up to signal 5 minutes. He needs time to roll, I'm guessing. If it were night time then I wouldn't be so sketched out, as everyone would be asleep. I sit there twiddling my thumbs until I see the stewardess come by and I jump at the opportunity to order a screwdriver. I look at the clock and notice that finally, 5 minutes have gone by and I get up to meet Jake in the bathroom.

We finish our session and walk back to our seats when I notice that my drink is waiting for me, which I pound back. Before I know it, sleep takes over me while every minute that passes, I'm that much closer to being home.

I'm woken up by Jake, who tells me that we're here. As we exit the plane, I start to feel about a hundred different emotions at once. We find our bags and head for the exit to look for Alice and Jasper. When we spot each other, we all smile, but it's not the kind of reunion that we deserve. We're brought here under unsettling circumstances and I know that all 4 of us feel the tension. Alice grabs me into a tight hug, and as soon as she does, it feels like home. I know she feels just like I do. Jasper and Jake shake hands and lean in to hug each other. We switch off, as Jasper kisses me on the cheek and whispers "it's good to see you, Bells."

I smile a saddening smile at him and he grabs my bag for me. "Emmett and Rose are at the house with Carlisle and Esme." He says. "Everyone's glad that you've both decided to come."

This 3 hour drive to Forks is probably the longest drive I've ever taken in my life. Jake and I sit in the back as the car ride is silent. Jake's been on his phone most of the time, mostly because I know that he knows nothing about this gloomy place has changed. All I can do is stare out the window. Not a single thing in this place has changed, but somehow I feel like it has; or maybe it's just me who did the changing.

We park in the drive way, and Jasper grabs both mine and Jake's bag. The 4 of us walk towards the house, and I suddenly stop at the front door. _I can't do this, _I think to myself. Alice stops, as if she'd heard my thoughts and steps in front of me. "Bella, they don't hate you." I look at her as she puts her hand out for me to take. I accept it and together, we walk through the front door.

As soon as I walked in, I felt Edward's presence. It just hit me like a freight train and it's too intense for me to handle. I stop to catch my breath, and as I look up, I see Carlisle, Esme, Rose and Emmett. I bee-lined straight for Esme. She was always like a mother to me. I start to cry, as does she. Carlisle puts his hands on both of our backs. "Welcome home, Bella. We're so pleased you've come back. I'm sorry it had to be under these circumstances, though."

"I know..." I said. "I mean, it's good to see you again too, all of you."

"And Jacob, thank you for coming back with Bella. We appreciate you coming." Carlisle continued. Jake nods and shakes his hand.

Rose gives me a hug and kisses both of my cheeks. Emmett gives me the gentlest hug, as if he's scared to break me. No bear hugs for this occasion.

"Well, Bella," Esme starts, "The funeral arrangements are being made for Monday. We've all decided to forgo a viewing prior to the funeral. You're both welcome to stay here as long as you need to..."

"Thank you, Esme, and yes of course we will stay," I said. Jake nods, "Of course, thank you."

"Great, let's get your things up to the guest room. I suppose you both would like the guest room?" Esme asked.

"Actually…Esme, Carlisle, would it be okay if I stay in Edward's old room and Jake can have the guest room? I mean, I understand if…"

Carlisle smiled warmly at me. "Of course, Bella. Whatever you'd like. And please let us know if you need anything."

I start to walk up the stairs and muttered underneath my breath. "All I need is Edward."

I open the door to his room and everything is exactly the same. Framed pictures of Edward and I are hung everywhere, along all of our high school memories. _I'm taking all of this home with me._ I run my fingers along the bulletin board with pictures of Edward and me at our senior prom. I feel a presence behind me and I turn around to see Alice standing in the doorframe. She walks over and sits down Edward's bed. I sit beside her as she looks down at her designer shoes.

"After you left, he was a wreck. He didn't leave this room for weeks. With everything that's happened in the last 5 years, you are still the only girl he ever loved. He never dated anyone else. Every day, I know that he secretly waited for you to come back, or even come into contact with him…"

That's all I need to hear. I break down in tears.

"Alice, I was such an idiot. I was selfish-"

"Now you listen to me, Bella. I don't think you were being selfish. No one in this house thinks you were being selfish by doing what you thought was right at the time." She says to me.

"But I lost him."

"No." She says. "You never lost him. You could've come back a week before he died and he would've welcomed you with open arms. Over time though, he did accept it. He didn't like it, but he knew he had to accept it."

I look into Alice's eyes. "Alice, I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I never took your feelings into consideration. I know how much I left you as I did him, and I don't know if I could ever express how sorry I am. I didn't think about it at the time and I know I should have, with you being my best friend. I'm just…I'm so sorry, Alice."

She pulls me into a hug. "Don't worry Bella, it's okay. I'm just glad that you're back. Nothing else matters at this point."

I've always admired Alice for being strong. She's such a strong person, but I know better than what she lets people see.

"Alice, you don't have to be strong in front of me."

Alice smiles, and then the tears start to flow. "Bella, I just miss him so much. He and I were so close, I just wish that stupid kid hadn't been drinking and driving. I just want him back, Bella. I'd give anything to just have him home and I'd give up anything to see him again. I don't know what I'm going to do without him." We sob and rock each other back and forth. "All we can do is mourn and time will do the rest, I guess," She says.

I shift back onto the bed and pull Alice with me, and we lay on Edward's bed in silence for many hours until exhaustion starts to set in. Alice sits up and gets off the bed. "It's getting late; I'm going to go to bed, if you need anything…"

"Don't worry, Alice. If I need anything, I remember where your room is." We hug for the last time and then she leaves, closing the door behind her.

I lay back on the bed, not even bothering to change my clothes. I get under the covers and inhale his scent that's all around me. I clap my hands and the light turns off, as I smile at the memory of when I bought the clapper light for him.

"Good night, Edward. I love you."

And for the rest of the weekend, I never left that room.

.

.

.

.

.

**So, that's it so far! Again, you don't have to review, but feedback is always welcome!**


	3. The Funeral

**-CHAPTER 3-**

_"Sleep will not come to this tired body now,  
Peace will not come to this lonely heart.  
There are some things I'll live without,  
But I want you to know that I need you right now;  
I need you tonight."_

_-The Smashing Pumpkins_

* * *

I open my eyes and for the briefest of seconds, I excitedly realize where I am, but then I remember why. I roll onto my back and breathe the scent of Edward in. This day especially, I didn't want to get out of bed. Today is Monday; Edward's funeral. This entire weekend I've been laying in Edward's old bed. I'm quite certain at this point that his scent is gone from it and has been replaced with mine. Edward's room is exactly the way I remembered it; his room was always my favourite room in the house, besides the kitchen. There's a forest outside his window but right in the middle of the afternoon, the sun shines through the trees in a certain way (when the sun is actually out) and it lights up his room perfectly. We had always admired it on the afternoons when we skipped class. His bed was still in the same place with that tangled mess of sheets. For as long as I can remember, I had told him that he should always make his bed, but he never did. I never won this argument.

_Flashback__:_

"Edward, seriously. We're not leaving until you make your bed." I had always told him.

"Bella, what's the point? Later on tonight I'm just going to be sleeping in it all over again. The Queen isn't coming to visit me or anything. Hell, even if she was, I'd make her sleep on the floor."

I roll my eyes, which earn me a smirk from him.

"The point is that it just makes your room look nicer. Your room is always spotless, Edward, minus the state of your bed. The sheets are always tangled and messy!"

"You weren't complaining last night when_ we _were tangled in the sheets." He winks at me.

I try and ignore what he's just said, but images from last night come flooding into my head. "Edward, just make your damn bed already."

"You know, you have this sexy look about you when you're frustrated. Makes me not want to make my bed, ever." He slowly walks toward me and I find myself frozen to where I'm standing. My legs refuse to move. "Edward…" I warn him.

He reaches out and puts his hands on both sides of my face, something he does that I love; it's kind of an Edward trademark. "Do I really have to make my bed?" He asks like a little boy, yet his voice is laced with other intentions.

"Y-yes." I stammer, and clear my throat.

"Really?" He looks at me for a second, then smirks at me. He kisses me, and I kiss him back. His hands move down and rest on the exposed skin on my waist. And then slowly, ever so slowly, he moves his hands up, underneath my shirt and starts planting kisses on my neck. "…'cause I think…that it's absolutely ridiculous of me…" He continues his assault on my neck and I feel my defenses being lowered. "…to have to make my bed when I know that I'm about 30 seconds away from ripping your clothes off and burying myself inside your beautiful pussy, having you scream my name in this bed." My mouth instantly became as dry as the desert. _Oh fuck_. He moves his hands up so that his thumbs move just along under the wiring. His thumbs move up and come into contact with my nipples. Yup, consider all my defenses down. "Now why would the bed need to be made, where's the fun in that?" I say nothing, I just watch him and he takes it as a sign to continue. My breasts are standing at attention at this point, and somehow my hands start taking control and move down to his belt buckle. He hisses as my knuckles come into contact with his very prominent erection. I get his button undone and his zipper lowered when he takes his hands out of my bra and moves to the hemline of my shirt. My arms go straight up as he lifts my shirt up and off my body. He then reaches around and unclips my bra. He latches his mouth onto my right breast, as he massages the other one. _He's so good at that._ He then switches to my left, and I'm starting to lose my mind, due to the lack of friction. His shirt is the next thing to go.

His hands move down quickly to my ass, as he squeezes it. "God bless yoga pants," he says, squeezing harder, making me squeal and moan at the same time. He lifts me up and grinds me onto his hard cock and I roll my eyes back, reveling in the feeling. "Mmm, Bella. Ah, Fuck…" He continues to grind me on him, slowing down and I can feel that I'm making a wet spot on his jeans. Before I can even moan his name, he tosses me onto his bed. I look up at him in shock, not expecting that, and his eyes are black with lust. He takes his jeans and shoves them down his legs. He's in nothing but black boxer briefs and, fuck me, _I love my man in black_. After cupping himself with his hand a few times and groaning…_unf_, he moves onto the bed, spreading my legs so he can kneel between them. "These pants are offending me, Bella, I hope you don't mind if I remove them." I move my ass up, so he can pull them down and off me. I feel the cold air on my lower regions and I realize just how wet I am. He looks me up and down, and if his eyes could get any darker, they certain just did. He starts grinding himself on me, just in the right spots. He reaches slightly into the waistband of my navy blue lace panties teasingly. He then moves his fingers down and separates my wet lips with his fingers, as he places his cloth-covered cock right against me, effectively soaking his briefs. "_Oh shiiiiit, Bella. Oh my g-uhhhh…_" His eyes are closed, as I know he's trying to not come right then and there. He takes a deep breath and opens his eyes. He starts moving quicker, thrusting his hips up and into me. I cannot even put into words how good this feels. _He's so hard._

"Edward…unggg, please," I beg. He pulls away and I frown at the lost connection. He pulls my panties off in one swift pull, and runs his fingers along the skin of what was covered by the lace. "I love it when you're bare, Bella, did you know that?" I moan at what he says, and he inserts a finger inside of me. After moving in and out a few times, he removes it and shoves his finger into his mouth. _Such a tease_. He stands up to rid himself of his boxers. He's about to remove them when I stop him. "No, let me." I reach for him and after grinning like a champion, he steps forward to let me rid them myself. I pull them down very slowly, as he had moved his hands just as slowly up my shirt. I run my thumbs over his bulge and he hisses. I can tell he already can't take anymore, but I take my sweet time. "Bella…" he pleads, but I ignore him. Finally, I let him loose and he springs to life. He closes his eyes. _Bad idea, Edward. Don't close your eyes now. _His cock stands at attention, and I take the opportunity to wrap my lips around the head and suck. Hard. Edward, not expecting this, moans loud and out of surprise. "Fuck, fuck, _fuck_, Bella you have to stop…_please."_

I finally oblige and move back onto the bed. He comes down to me and nestles himself between my legs, grinding himself on me. "Mmm, Edward…"He does that trick again, by opening my lips and resting his cock there, except this time there are no barriers. He's thrusting up and down; and down south, the forecast is nothing but _wet_. He moves up to kiss me, and he kisses me _hard. _My lips become swollen from his kisses and he leans up and says seductively in my ear, "I'm not going to fuck you yet, Bella. But what I am going to do, is make you come…really hard, right now."_ Mmm,_ _I love his dirty mouth. "…_But not with my fingers, baby. No, I'm gonna make you come with my tongue." My eyes shoot open and I look at him. _Oh fuck. _He plants one more kiss on my lips and shuffles down, towards my center. "…And you know what else? I'm going to stroke myself while I do it. Moan for me, baby." And then, his face disappears.

* * *

So basically, that's why I always lost the making-the-bed argument.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't heard Esme lightly knock on the door.

"Bella? Bella. Time to wake up, sweetie." Esme comes inside with a fresh cup of coffee. "Bella…" Her soft and soothing voice; I've missed that.

"Mmm... 5 more minutes, Esme," I mumble. She sits down on the edge of the bed and hands me the coffee as I sit up against the headboard.

"Bella, you haven't...been out of this room all weekend." She says with sadness in her voice.

"I just mean that I want 5 more minutes with Edward." I say, looking around his room. She nods, I can tell she understands what I mean.

"Yeah, I know. This must be so hard for you, sweetheart."

"I can't imagine how hard this is for _you,_ and Carlisle. What I'm feeling must not even compare…I mean, what it must feel like to lose a child…" Esme's eyes start to water.

"Yes," she says, "But we're both trying to be strong for the family. You know how Alice is, she's strong like her father…but only for so long." Edward and Alice were _very_ close, being twins. Ever since I met them they were close. "…And Emmett, well, he grieves in other ways. But he also has Rosalie, and she has a good head on her shoulders."

Tears fall from her beautiful face. Esme is the mother that everyone dreams of having. She may not agree with choices that you make, but she is supportive and understanding, no matter what. But I can tell you that if anyone tried to hurt her family, she'd be out for blood. She raised her daughter to be modest and her sons to be gentlemen. Her husband also adores her. There is not a single person on this planet who could hate this woman. She reminds me so much of my mother.

"I always had it in my head that you and Edward would be together forever. I have this idea of how my children's lives are going to turn out. I mean, Alice is already taking off. Her fashion line is doing great, and she and Jasper are doing just fine. Emmett's garage is doing great as well, and he and Rosalie? Forget about it, they're going to be getting married soon, I can feel it. And Edward…well, he's a romantic just like me, _my baby boy_. In life, it never mattered what he did, all he knew was that he needed to be wherever you were. He could've become a doctor like his father, a mechanic like his brother, or…even a lawyer. Anything. To him, his career wasn't his passion; his passion was you. You and Edward just had that type of love that is so rare…Carlisle and I knew it from the day Edward mentioned you. He came home with stars in his eyes, talking about this beautiful new student in his Biology class. 'Mom,' he'd say, 'I think I have a reason not to drop Biology now.'

She cries harder, and I join her. "It's just hard to believe that he's gone. I miss him, Bella, I really do. And no matter what happens in life, I want you to know that I will always consider you my daughter. I know that things have happened and we lost touch, but you are just as much my daughter as Alice is. She really missed you, you know."

"I know, and I feel terrible for making Alice suffer along with Edward, but I just…"

"You did what you felt you needed to do and there's nothing wrong with that, Bella. Know that." She stroke's my face with her delicate fingers. "I'm going to go get ready, okay?" I nodded.

She gets up and gently closes the door behind her. I took a sip of my coffee and smiled. _She still remembers how I take my coffee._

I get up, placing my coffee on the bedside table, and go to open my suitcase. The one thing that I had forgotten to pack is an outfit for the funeral. I forgot to bring a black dress. I rummage through the suitcase, throwing clothes into the air, over my shoulder, everywhere. Frustration settles in when I can't find anything appropriate to wear and I violently push the suitcase off the bed and fall to the floor in tears.

Just then, Alice knocks on the door.

"Bella? Do you need hel- _what_ are you doing?" She asks, looking around the room, then down at me.

"I didn't bring a black dress, Alice. The closest thing I have to it is brown. I can't wear brown to a funeral! I want to look good for him. I have nothing to wear and I feel like a complete idiot and I...I owe him that at least. I need to look good." My head falls into my hands.

Alice starts chucking lightly.

"Bella, my closet is bigger than your father's house. Why couldn't you just ask me? Silly girl, come with me. I'll find you something beautiful."

She opens the doors to her closet, and it's huge. This walk-in closet was unlike any I've ever seen. This closet would literally be any fashion-loving woman's dream.

"Alice, this is…but I thought you live on your own."

"I do. My loft is going through some renovations right now though, so I'm staying here with my parents while the renovations are finishing. It started getting a little too crowded. Plus, Jasper didn't like the fact that I was being surrounded my multiple men every day," she smirks and rolls her eyes, "as if I'd ever love another man."

I start to laugh. "Makes sense. What kind of renovations?"

"I need a bigger closet" she says with a wink, "You think this is big? My closet at home is going to be twice the size."

I blankly stare at her as if to say _really? _and she laughs at me.

"I'm kidding. They're adding appliances to the kitchen, re-tiling the floors and painting the walls." She states proudly.

We talk more about her fashion line and how it's going, and we finally find something that I decide to wear. She helps me get changed, does my make up and lightly curls my hair.

Jake lightly knocks on my door, asking if I'm decent, and he comes in just as Alice is cleaning up. "Hey Bells, how you doing?"

"As good as to be expected, I guess." He smiles, and his dimples make an appearence. Jake has always been an attractive guy and I find myself wondering why he's never attempted to settle down with anyone. He hasn't even really attempted a relationship with any girl since high school. I did ask him once, and his response was "Well, how can I have a girlfriend and still find the time to be your personal bodyguard?" He really is a great friend. "So," I ask, "are you coming with us in the limo?"

"No, actually. I told Carlisle and Esme that it would probably be best that I go home and see my father. I haven't visited in a while, and I guess I should show up at the funeral with my family. Actually, now that I think about it, I should get going. See you at the funeral, okay?" He pecks my cheek and turns to leave. "See you soon," I say behind him. "If you need to find me, I'll be the one dressed in black." He opens the door and turns around to smile at me, but it's a sad smile.

I'm reminded that I too need to go see my father, or at least call him. I feel so stupid for actually forgetting to tell him that I was coming. _He's not going to be impressed with me._

* * *

A couple of hours later, we all get into the limo and ride to the funeral in silence. _I feel like I know where we're going. Are we…no, it can't be…_I'm the first to speak.

"Where is the funeral being held?" I ask. "The route we're going, it looks like we're going-"

"His favourite meadow." Carlisle says, "it was his favourite place in the whole world; it's where his grandparents, my parents, first fell in love…" _It's where Edward and I fell in love. It's where we lost our virginities. "…_it's pretty deep into the forest," he continues, "but it's not too far. It's actually quite close to your old high school."

I can't believe it. _Our meadow._ He wanted to be buried in _our_ meadow. I remember that place so vividly. He took me there on our first date and told me about how special it was to him. He told he how his grandparents had fallen in love there, and how when his grandfather went away to the war, his grandmother would go there to be with him. She would lie in the meadow amongst the unique purple flowers that bloomed there only once a year in the spring. If you would walk far enough, where the flowers would end, there was a row of trees. Beyond that, you wouldn't believe that it was a cliff. Edward always joked about wanting to cliff dive off of it, but we both knew that it wasn't possible. We loved that place, though. We always found ourselves going there, especially when my mother started to get really sick. The morning after Prom, he took me there and we sat for the whole day. "This meadow," he said, "is where I want to be buried when I die. But of course, when I die, it'll be of old age and you'll be buried right beside me. I want us to grow old together, Bella, and I want us to be buried in this meadow together. Our children will be buried here, as well as our grandchildren."

We park the car and get out, Carlisle and Esme first, followed by the rest of us. Everyone is looking at us; they know who we are. People are constantly coming up to Carlisle and Esme to give their condolences, as well as to Alice and Emmett. Rosalie and Jasper are here to support Emmett and Alice. The casket is closed, much to my relief, and beside the casket there's a beautiful flower arrangement, and on an easel on top of the coffin is a picture of him. _That's definitely a recent picture_. It's of him with his arms wrapped around what I would assume is Alice on one side and Emmett on the other. It was cropped, though, and it showed only him. He is caught mid laugh, and he has a bit of stubble on his face. _He is so beautiful._ I can't control the tears.

"Normally, I'd give you crap for not telling me that you're home, but I guess I can let it go because of the circumstances." My father's words pull me out of the daydream I'm in, and I turn around to see my father looking at the ground. He has a little more grey hair than the last time I saw him. "…And don't tell me that Skype counts." When our eyes meet, he immediately searches my eyes for my response, and he gets it. "I'm so sorry, dad, really. It's just that I didn't-" He cuts me off. "Don't worry about it. I understand. Regardless, it's good to see you again, honey." We both stand where we are, not sure whether we should hug or just leave it be. My father and I have never had the typical father-daughter relationship. We saved the hugs for birthdays and christmases, but we never hugged out of generality. Today was an exception. I shift forward and give him a hug. "I'm so sorry, Bells. Truly, I am. He was a great guy."

"Thanks, dad. And thank you for being here today." With that, he part and we link arms and walk over to Carlisle and Esme. In the distance, Jake's arriving with his father and step mother, as well as his friends. He waves to me and I wave back. He knows I'm okay, but he's making doubly sure.

We all take our seats in the front row, as Alice holds my hand. After a bible verse is read, the director puts on one of Edward's original piano pieces, and as soon as it starts to play, I fall apart. Alice squeezes my hand. She knows what this is. _They're playing my melody. The melody that he wrote for me. _We all sit in silence until the song finishes and the funeral director asks that members of his family come up and say a few words. Carlisle gets up and makes his way to the podium.

"Edward Cullen was a great man. He was never a pushover; he knew what he wanted from life and did what he had to do to get it. Edward loved two things in this world: music, and a girl named Bella Swan." He looked at me and smiled, then continued. "He always spoke passionately of both of those things, and when he spoke of Bella, it was like poetry…or a beautiful melody. The melody that you all just listened to, that was Bella's Lullaby. He never glowed about anything in his life, other than that girl who helped him become the man that he was. I am happy to stand here today and tell you all how proud Esme and I are to have had such a wonderful son. His admiration for his family was something that never went unnoticed. To you all, he was Edward, or _Eddie_, as most of his friends called him, but to us, he was just that same little boy that liked to pee in his mother's flower pots." Everyone chuckles at that. I remember that story. "…Let us not grieve over his passing, but celebrate the life that he lived." I smile as Carlisle sits back down. Carlisle always knows what to say. He looks over at me and I mouth a 'thank you' to him. He nods with a smile before he puts his arm around an inconsolable Esme.

A trembling Rosalie stands up. Emmett moves to get up with her, but she puts her hand up to stop him. She stops to look at the photo of him, places her hand on his face, and continues to the podium.

"I'm going to start off with a little story. I first met Edward in the second grade. I was new and I had no friends. A little boy was bullying me during recess one day and he had stolen my cupcake. They were my mother's famous cupcakes, and she had specifically left me the last one to take to school. He held the cupcake in front of me, telling me that girls aren't allowed to eat cupcakes. I walked away and stood against the brick wall and cried my little heart out until a little boy came up to me and asked me why I was crying. He said…" she stops for a second, as she starts to cry all over again. She looks down to the ground, trying to pull herself together. She continues, "he said that pretty girls don't cry. I told him what the bully had done to me, and he walked right up to the boy and asked him why his mother hadn't taught him any manners. He said to him that girls should never be treated that way, and then he knocked the cupcake out of the boy's hand. It fell to the ground, into a puddle of mud, and the boy started to yell at Edward. But we all know Edward, he wasn't having any of that." She laughs a little, and we all chuckle at the fact. "He punched little Eric Yorkie square in the nose and physically forced him to eat the cupcake off the ground. The little boy had not only ran away from Edward, but he never bothered me again." She looks up, and to the picture. She smiles. "Edward and I have been friends ever since."

"Chuck Palahniuk once said: 'We all die. The goal isn't to live forever; the goal is to create something that will.' I believe that my friend did that. He may have left this earth but he left behind something that not many of us realize. He left us with a life lesson. He let us all open our eyes and believe that true love exists, and for him, it exists in Bella Swan. I won't use past tense and say _existed_, because if I know Edward like we all do, I know that wherever he is, he still loves Bella as much as he did when he was still with us. I miss Edward with every fibre of my being, and as his friend I can say that, Bella," she looks right at me, "He loved you. He did from the moment he saw you. And he will always love you." She smiles warmly at me, and then walks back to her seat.

After she sat down, I gained the courage to stand up and walk to the podium. As I stood up there, I looked at the photo of him and just couldn't bring myself to say anything. What could I possibly say? I haven't seen the man in 5 years. I shake my head and apologize into the microphone to everyone, while yet again, starting to cry. "I'm sorry, I can't do this." I move to walk away, and I notice a man standing against a tree in a white tuxedo. I couldn't _not _notice him; he was the only one wearing white. I mentally shrug and continue on.

Instead of sitting back down, I walk away from the podium, away from his family and all the other guests. I didn't care where I ended up; I just needed to clear my head. And there was no way I was going to watch the casket get lowered into the ground. I walked into the forest for about 5 minutes until I came to a large root that I could sit on. _What the hell could I have possibly said up there? "Oh, I loved Edward Cullen, but I left him 5 years ago and we both never got over each other. After college, I decided to be a coward and move to Los Angeles and never face him. I saw that he died on the news, and bam, here I am." _

I barely realize that an hour has gone by before Alice texts me.

_Are you okay? We're all leaving for the reception at our house…are you coming? –AC_

_I'm fine, promise. You guys go home; I'll take a cab back. And before you ask, yes I'm sure. - BS_

I decide to walk back towards where the ceremony took place, and I come across the barren meadow once occupied with people, only this time, I see a pile of dirt, where I imagine the casket has gone. I sit down beside it and I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Hey baby. I don't even know what to say right now. I just can't believe it. You're actually gone." I started to sob, yet again. "I just want you to know that I love you, and I never meant to hurt you. I left you that day and regretted every minute of it. Edward, there's not a day that went by when I didn't think of you; your beautiful eyes and the way you felt against me. I remember it all, and I'm just so sorry. I can't even say that enough. I just wish that I could go back in time and change it. I'm just...Oh god Edward, I love you so much. I wish it were possible. I want to have you in my arms again. I know that if I could ever get the chance to change things, I'd never let you go again...I just thought that you should know. I'm sorry-"

I'm startled by the sound of the trees behind me, as if someone else is here. The man in the white tuxedo. I jumped up and backed away.

"No, please. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you. I mean no harm, I assure you."

I'm scared. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Please, Bella, I don't wish to hurt you. I came to pay my respects and my condolences to you."

I relax a bit. "Thank you, and um, how do you know my name? Do I know you?"

The man shook his head. "Not exactly. My name is Laurent."

He reached out and shook my hand.

"How did you know Edward?" I asked.

"Let's just say I've known him for some time now." His response confuses me, but I shrug it off. There's something about this man...

_I'm confused_. "Laurent, may I ask you a question?"

"Please do." He says.

"With all due respect, why are you wearing white? I mean, black is the colour of death, is it not?"

The man chuckles. "Yes, it is, isn't it? Well, white is the colour of life and purity. I'm a firm believer that when you die, your soul goes to a better place. It just never feels right to wear black to a funeral. I've always been a little different than anyone else, I suppose."

I suddenly feel stupid for asking. "I'm sorry."

He dismisses my apology with a wave of his hand and a warm smile. "So tell me, Bella. I didn't mean to overhear, but I heard you say that if you could go back and change things, you would. If I may ask, what would you change?" Laurent asked.

"I left Forks 5 years ago to go to Boston. I got accepted to Boston University on a writing scholarship and I pretty much just got up and left, ending things with Edward because I felt that it would be too hard to continue the relationship. I felt so ashamed because of it that I didn't even visit. I moved to LA right after college and got a job at a publishing house, and I started writing my own book and I just…stayed there. I was too ashamed to come back. And now I'm here, unfortunately under bad circumstances. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just rambling..."

He shakes his head. "No, no. It's nice to just ramble on sometimes. And I'm sorry to hear that, Bella. I've been watching you for some time now; Edward too, and I think that you deserve a second chance to make things as right as you want them to be..."

Instantly, a shiver is sent up my spine.

"Excuse me?" _Who the hell is this guy?_

"Well, I think that you deserve-" He starts again.

"No, before that. You've been watching me? _I don't even know you_! You show up here, no one even notices you're here, which I find odd considering you're wearing white. You claim to know me and all about my life and I'm supposed to not feel uneasy about that?! You know what? I think I should go..."

I turn to leave, and he lightly grabs my arm to stop me.

"Please, Bella. I'm here to help you. And Edward."

"Who the fuck are you?" I ask. I almost feel bad for cursing in front of this guy, he's so nice.

"Let's just say, I'm someone-"

"No, Laurent. Enough with the riddles."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"_Try me_."

"Do you know why no one noticed me at the funeral?" He asks me.

I shake my head. "Do you not get along with the Cullens?"

He shakes his head. I don't know if he means that no, he doesn't get along with them, or no, that's not it. "Bella, if anyone were to walk by right now and see you talking to me, they'd probably carry you away in a straight jacket."

"And…what does that mean?"

"Bella, you're the only one who can see me."

_Oh great_. _I'm talking to a fucking whack job._

"Laurent, I don't have time for games. I really have to get going to the reception, so if you'll excuse me..."

"I'm not playing with you, Bella."

"Prove it," I challenge. This is getting a little too ridiculous.

He sighs. "Bella…okay, take a picture of me."

I pull out my phone and snap a quick picture. I look at the picture and he isn't even in it. All of the blood starts draining from my face.

"What is this? Some kind of joke?" I demand. I'm starting to get scared. _Okay, I need to get out of here._

"Like I said, I'm here to help you. I'm here to give you the chance; to see how different things would have been if you had stayed."

I don't understand. "If no one else can see you, how…what are you, an angel or something?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call myself an angel, but that's what you can call me if you'd like." He chuckles.

I was just joking. He doesn't seem to be. Well, I'm glad _he's_ amused.

"Okay. Um, Laurent? It was nice meeting you; it was uh, surreal…but nice, I guess. If you'll excuse me, I have a reception to attend." I shake his hand and walk away from him.

"You'll see, Bella. Tomorrow morning when you wake up, things will be different." He says, a little ways behind me.

I've had enough. "Well, you know what?" I turn around and he's gone.

_Where the fuck did he go? _I shake my head and walk away, heading towards the reception. When I get back to the Cullen house, I excuse myself and head upstairs to take a bath. I have to clear my head of all things Edward, and dissect what had just happened with Laurent.

.

.

.

.

.

**Yay, 3/5 chapters edited!**

**Any thoughts? Feel free to review!**

**and of course, thanks for reading!**


	4. All I Have To Do Is Dream

**-CHAPTER 4-**

The most peaceful thing to wake up to in the morning has to be the sounds of the birds chirping. I roll over onto my back and stretch. This room is unusually bright this morning. After taking my eyes off the ceiling, I realize that I'm not in Edward's room. _Wait..._

Suddenly I feel an arm wrap around my waist and a body stir against me. I look over and see Edward's eyes peering up at me with a big smile on his face.

"Mmm, morning baby."

I scream and jump off the bed, falling to the floor.

"Holy shit! Bella, are you okay?" He asks, sitting up, leaning over the side of the bed.

"Edward…oh my god. You're here?!"

Edward smiles his beautiful smile and chuckles lightly.

"Yeah baby, of course I'm here. Did you hit your head on the way down or something?"

His eyes trail down my body and in that moment I realize that I'm naked. I'm pretty sure my face is as red as a tomato. I reach up and grab the white sheet that's now half-hanging off the bed. _Note to self: Always take the sheet with you on the way down._

"I...I just can't believe it. You're here. You're…_perfect_…" I trail off. _How is this possible?_ If this is a dream, I never wanna wake up.

"Uh, thank you?" He says with a confused smile on his face.

"B...But how are you here? _You're dead_...you died! What happened?" I barely whisper and he hears me.

"Baby, are you drunk still?" He gives me a lopsided grin. "Seriously, did you hit your head? Come back to bed. I didn't die, it must've been a bad dream."

I stand up and get into bed and he wraps his arms around me. I turn my head to look at him. All I can do is touch his face. And kiss him. Again. And again.

"Whoa, Bells, if this is how you greet me after a bad dream, I sure hope you have more!" He laughs.

"So...what happened?" I ask. _I'm so confused._ If this isn't a dream, then what is it?

"Uhh, what do you mean 'what happened', Bella? I never went anywhere…should I call my dad? You may be coming down with something..."

"No, no. I'm alright, I just…we were broken up, and-"

"Okay, baby, that _mus_t have been a dream, 'cause we've never broken up." He laughs and nuzzles into my neck.

I sigh, wrap the sheet around me, and get out of bed. I walk up to the glass windows and look outside. _Holy fuck, I live in a condo?!_

"Bella?" Edward questions. He too gets out of bed, slips on his boxers and comes up behind me, kissing my exposed shoulders. "What's wrong, baby? Talk to me."

"I just…I guess I just had a bad dream. I mean, you and I broke up and then I went away, and then you died…."

"Well, I didn't die, sweetheart. I'm right here. Although obviously, we almost broke up once." He recalls, almost painfully.

"When?" I ask.

"Well, when you almost left for school, remember? When I found you at the airport?" He says.

"Oh, right…do you ever think about that day?"

"Yeah, all the time. Only for the fact that it was the best day of my life." He says, rubbing my back.

"How so?"

"Well, after I had read the ridiculous letter you wrote me, I decided to go after you. I thought that I was actually going to lose you and I hated you leaving without at least facing me. You said it was the best way to end our relationship. You know, you felt like it wouldn't work between us and that it was killing you, but there was no way that I could've changed your mind? When I found you, you were just giving in your ticket. At first you wouldn't budge. I didn't care how we did it, I just wanted to be with you. I had a plan B, but I never needed it. You decided to stay and think it over…thank you for that, by the way, and that night I took you home and you called me all frantic because you got accepted to school here. Which I thought was weird because as far as I knew, you never applied…but either way, you decided to stay here."

_I didn't apply to the University of Washington though._ I continue to look out the window. _What happened? _I ask myself, which I must've whispered out loud.

"Bella…we went to school together, we graduated and now we live here together, silly. Is that what you're asking about? Or…as for the state of our room…" He looks around with a smile, "Well, I think we got a little carried away last night."

He grins and I blush. I make my way back to the bed and sit down.

I think back to what he just said. _"I had a plan B, but I never needed it." _Does that mean…_oh. The ring. Does he still have it?_

"I think I'm going to go have a shower, are you alright?" Edward pulls me out of my thoughts for a second.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I guess my dream just felt real." I sit back down. _I'm not alright, but I can't explain it to you_.

He gets up and goes into the bathroom for a minute to start the shower.

I start to think about what had happened yesterday. I woke up, spoke to Esme, got ready with Alice, went to the funeral…

And then it hits me. _Laurent. The weird guy in the white tux. _Suddenly his words echo through my head.

"_You'll see, Bella. Tomorrow morning when you wake up, things will be different."_

I feel my stomach drop. _No, that's not possible, I…is it?_

Edward comes out to grab his towel, and he's wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. I stare him up and down. _He's really here. _Everything I ever regretted in my life is standing right in front of me; I'm actually getting that second chance to make my life right. Here he was, perfect Edward, and he's all mine. Every inch of him was perfect; his brown hair and enticing green eyes. And his body? _His body._ He catches me staring and notices that I'm basically undressing him and fucking him with my eyes, and he pauses for a second. He looks at me skeptically as I stand up, the sheet falling to the floor. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him deeply. He's startled by this, but he kisses me back. "I love you," I mumble against his lips.

"Mmm...love you more," He mumbles back. I start to pull him towards the bed but he fights it. I pull harder and we both lose our footing and fall backwards onto the bed. I gain control and roll over to sit on top of him. He's surprised by this, but I can tell he's liking it. _Very_ much.

I refuse to stop kissing him. "Bella," he tries to object but I won't let him. "B-bella…the water's running."

"I don't care." I say to him, desperate. I need him. More than he'll ever know. "I just…I need you."

He sighs. "I can't deny a request like that."

He then giggles, which I find extremely adorable, almost in a dorky way. "You're totally paying the water bill this month."

"Deal." I say, and then I make up for lost time with the love of my life. Twice. And once in the shower.

_That water bill is going to be expensive this month._

* * *

I come out of the hallway and take a moment to look around. _I live here? _I can tell that Esme had a hand in helping with the designs, this place is absolutely gorgeous! _It's so…me. _The living room was quite big, complete with a 3 seated couch along the wall that I'm leaning against, and a 2 seater that has it's back to the kitchen, with the kitchen off to the side, connected to a small dining room. It's a small place, but it's perfect for us. But it's not the layout that's beautiful, it's the furniture. _Thank you Esme. _The one thing that pains me about this is the fact that I have no recollection of this; of us moving, us going to school, anything. 5 years of our life together have completely vanished. I suppose it's a small price to pay, because the fact that I have Edward back outweighs all of the time erased.

"Well good morning!" Emmett says with a smirk, eating a cheese omelette.

"Well, hello, Bella!" Rosalie smiles like a cheshire cat. "We heard you last night; didn't know you had it in you. Well, we know _what_ you had inyou, but the noise…just, wow!" What she says naturally causes me to blush the colour of her fiery red lips.

"Well maybe if you guys would stay at your _own_ apartment, eating your _own_ food, you wouldn't hear a thing." Edward fires right back.

Emmett's smirk falls hard. "Ouch, man. Very...ouch." He dramatically puts his hand on his heart.

"Don't worry guys. We're leaving soon, we were just way too drunk to drive last night. Thank god Jasper didn't have anything to drink and was able to drive Alice home. She was _done._" Rose said. "But I don't think I've had that much to drink in a long time."

"Yeah, and you know how that goes," Emmett cuts in, "Safety first! _Friends don't let friends drive drunk_."

Edward rolls his eyes and pours himself some orange juice. Emmett and Rose start to gather their things.

As far as I know, it's Saturday, so what would I possibly do today? Well, if there's anyone I really need to talk to, it's Jake.

I open my cell phone and dial Jake's number.

"You better have a good reason to be calling me at this ungodly hour, Swan." He says. _Good to know he still sounds the same._

"You know, Jake, _normal _people are usually up by 10," I say right back. Edward comes out of the kitchen and knits his eyebrows, as if to ask me who it is. I mouth _Jake_ to him and he nods and starts to chuckle.

"Well, after the night I had last night, it feels like 6 am. What can I do for my bestest friend in the universe this morning?" He asks me, very unenthusiastically. Rose waves me down to say goodbye, as does Emmett with his mouth full of food, and I smile and wave at them both. "See you guys later."

I continue to talk to Jake as Rose and Emmett leave. "Weeeeell..." I started, "I wanted to know if you wanted to meet me for lunch…or brunch. You know, whatever."

He sighs. "Okay, I'm going to go ahead and assume The Waffle House. Let me guess, Bella needs waffles? I can be there in 20 minutes."

"Alright, I'll see you then." I hang up.

"Hello beautiful," Edward comes up behind me and snakes his arms around my waist. "Feeling more refreshed after your shower?" I blush, again. He takes notice of the dress I'm wearing and suddenly takes interest.

"Is there any chance that I get to see what's under this dress of yours?" My girly bits do a dance. At this point, I'm completely insatiable when it comes to all things Edward.

"Nope, no chance. Although who knows, it could turn out to be nothing."

He instantly growls low and turns me around and backs me up against the back of the couch. "Bella, you _know_ you can't say things like that to me. Now I'm going to have to check…" I swat his hand away.

"I have to go meet Jacob for brunch now, you be good." I say with a teasing smile. I lightly brush my hands against the bulge in his pants and he closes his eyes to revel in the feeling.

He leans down to nuzzle my neck and I push him away. "_Down boy_, there's time for that later. Love you."

And just like that, I left him.

* * *

The drive wasn't long but I'm definitely early. _Could have probably had another quickie with Edward._ I shake the thought out of my head and walk across the street where there's a children's playground with a bench. I make sure to text Jake and tell him where I am. Ahead, I see a mother pushing her little boy in the swing. She looks so happy, so content. The little boy is just glowing with happiness. That's what I love about children; the littlest thing brings them such joy, whether it'd be a silly face, or a simple ride in the car. The mother stops swinging her son and lifts him out of the swing and puts him on the ground. He reaches down and picks a dandelion out of the grass and whispers something in his mother's ear as she bends down, to which she smiles and nods. Before I know it, the little boy runs in my direction and stops in front of me where I'm sitting.

"Hi!" The little boy says.

"Hello," I say with a smile, "How are you?"

His mother walks up and says hello, while her son shies away and turns his face away from me.

"Sorry to disturb you, my son just wanted to come over to say hello."

"Oh, that's fine. Not a problem at all. Hey buddy!" I say I reach out my hand to him.

He smiles widely and takes my hand and shakes it. _He is just the sweetest thing ever._

"I'm Bella," I say, "What's your name?"

"Sean." He says oh-so-bashfully.

"Go on, Sean, tell her what you wanted to tell her…" His mother coaxes him.

"Yo-you're really pretty, Bella!" He says, almost embarrassed.

I almost want to cry, _he's so cute_. He hands me the dandelion he picked and then he kisses my hand.

"Thank you, handsome! You're going to make some girl very happy one day!"

His mother tells him that it's time to go meet his dad. He blows a kiss to me, and I to him.

"Thanks for making his day, Bella. It was nice meeting you. I'm Angela, by the way. Perhaps I'll see you around?"

"Definitely, and it was my pleasure, Angela." I shake her hand and she walks away with her adorable son. She looks familiar to me but I can't place where I've seen her before.

I sit back down on the bench and I smile to myself. That's what I want one day; a family. A little boy who looks just like Edward. I want a family with Edward. Not now, obviously, but one day. _Am I weird for thinking about Edward and I having children already? _

"Hello, Bella." A voice says. I look up and see Laurent standing in front of me. _That white tux, man._ "Mind if I take a seat?"

"Sure…" I say, "Would you mind telling me what's going on?" I look around to make sure that no one's here, remembering what he had told me about no one being able to see him. With what's happened so far, I'm not going to take him for a liar now.

"And you thought I was some crazy guy." He says, chuckling.

"How did you do this?" I ask.

"I told you, Bella, that when you'd wake up this morning, things would be different."

"But I don't know what's going on...I missed out on 5 years of my life. I have no memories with Edward, or-"

"Would you rather go back to the way it used to be? I can't implant memories into your head too." Laurent says.

"Well, no, of course not. But I'm just saying that I'm so…lost…"

"In time, you'll learn the things you've missed out on, Bella. Just thank me and go live your life. I'm not expecting anything from you." He says with a smile so full of grace.

I look at him. "There's no catch? Like, when I become complacent with it all, are you gonna pull the rug out from underneath me completely and bring me back to my old life? Because I don't think I could handle losing him twice."

"Stop your worrying. This is your second chance, Bella. Embrace it. Not many people get this opportunity. You wished on it, did you not?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Then that's it. Consider it a wish that came true." He rests his hand on top of mine, smiling.

"So, who are you? Are you, like…an angel or something?" I ask inquizitively.

He laughs out loud, as I remember that I asked him that yesterday. "Like I said, if that's what you want to call me, then feel free. It's an empowering title to have, anyway. I'm somewhat of a supreme being, but I'm from a different realm. I'm not God nor do I claim to be, but I'm part of a place where we watch over good people. I use powers that I possess to enforce good things; it's really a hard thing to explain, especially to a human being. There are also those who try and use their power to destroy the lives of innocent, good-hearted people, for which we banish them and strip them of their power."

I suddenly feel like I'm a character in the bible. I decide to not ask anymore questions, as I feel I've asked enough already. I accept that there's things that I'm just not allowed to know.

"Like I said, Bella. You deserve this. Now please, go be happy." He gets up to leave, and I stop him.

"Wait," I call out to him, "Am I ever going to see you again?"

He turns around. "I don't think so, Bella. My job is done. I was sent to help you and I have done that. But I'll be watching over you. That's the best I can do."

"But-" I started.

"No, Bella. Just go." He smiles at me and waves. And with that, he disappears.

_I think I need to see a shrink._

I hear Jake calling my name behind me and I turn around to see him crossing the street.

"Hey Bells, you ready?" He lets me lead the way and we go to eat. As soon was we walk through the door, the smell of waffles and syrup fill my nostrils and my stomach starts making all kinds of demands. I notice him staring off into space. Either that, or he's really into the menu.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing. Just hung over. Me hungry." He starts pounding on his chest like a gorilla.

"How was your night last night?" _My attempt at making small talk to see how my life with Jacob is in this new life of mine._

"It was good, the opening went really well, actually. I mean, you would know, you were there." He says.

"I was?" Jake looks at me oddly. "I mean, yeah, I was…" _Trying to save myself here…_"but, you know, not for the whole night."

"Yeah, I know, you guys all left pretty early. Where did you guys all go after?"

"My place." I say. _The only true fact that I know for sure_.

"Bella, you look like you have a lot on your mind. What's up?" _Such a good friend._

"Nothing, really. Edward and I were talking this morning about how I almost left Forks to go to school."

His face drops. "Oh? I hated those days."

"Jake, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, anything…unless it's _'wanna be a godfather?'_ or else I'll have to kindly decline-"

"I'm serious."

"Okay, shoot." He grows slightly concerned.

"Strictly hypothetical," I lie, "but have you ever lost something that you loved so much?"

He frowns. "What do you mean?"

I continue, "I mean, have you ever lost something that really meant a lot to you, or you've just done something stupid and then you somehow wished that you had a second chance to make things right? Kind of like a do-over?"

He thinks for a second, then looks at me. "Well, yeah, of course. I've lost a lot, Bella. I've just kept quiet about it. But I've never gotten a second chance to change things. I don't think anyone ever really does. That's just one of the things that comes with living your life, I guess; having one moment, and the decision you make changes the course of your life. It's really just a big gamble. Why, what's changed for you?"

"Well, nothing really. I was just thinking, you know, like '_what could have been_'. Like, if I would've gotten onto that plane, my life would have been so different-"

"You know," he said, "if you would have gotten onto that plane, I would have caught the next one. I booked the ticket and everything. I was ready to follow you. I booked the ticket because I wanted to keep you in my life. I didn't have as much to lose by leaving as Edward had."

_Now I'm confused._ "Wait, what?"

"Bella, I…no, just forget it."

"Jake, you know you can tell me anything." I was scared to find out where this was going but my curiosity was going too far.

"Bella…I've been in love with you since I met you; ever since your father introduced me to you. You were new and you wanted friends and I introduced you to the Cullen family. But before I could make a move on you, you were already head over heels for Edward. I knew I wouldn't stand a chance with you after that. So, would I go back and change things? No, because that means that today you'd be with me and you wouldn't be as happy as you are." He says, looking away from me. "So, I'm thinking pancakes, they look pretty good…"

"Jacob…" I have no idea what to say to him, and what could I even say? I've broken my best friend's heart all these years, and I never even knew it. Laurent was right, I would learn all of the things I've missed out on, but also, things I never knew about my past.

.

.

.

.

.

**And that's it for now!**

**Yet again, feedback is nice, but I'm not one to beg for it! **

**xo**


	5. Since I've Been Loving You

**-CHAPTER 5-**

**For this chapter, I wanted to give you a bit of background info about the characters and to kind of bring them to life for you and to delve into what happened before the beginning of this fic. There's also some lemony goodness in here for you guys. Happy reading!**

* * *

I had no idea that Jacob loved me all these years. I always considered our love to be platonic. I legitimately have no idea what to say to him right now.

After we had spoken, we ate in complete silence. What do you say to someone that you've known for years who confesses that they've always loved you?

He hasn't spoken to me in two weeks. We'd spoken on the phone a few times, but nothing really came of it. He claimed that he was working a lot, which I knew was a cover-up. Whenever I call him, I either get his machine, or I catch him when he's about to 'run out the door'. I don't want this to be a problem. I want us to be able to talk it out and get past this. _Fuck it._ I dial his number and yet again, I get his machine. I sigh as I hang up the phone and stare at it for a second.

"Why don't you just go over and see him?" Edward asks me, coming up behind me and resting his head on my shoulder. He knows how much this is bothering me. That's one of the things I love about him. Instead of being jealous all the time, he understands and accepts the relationship I have with Jacob. "You might as well corner the guy. He can get away from you over the phone, but not if you show up unannounced." _That's true. _"I'm sure that whatever's going on with the two of you, it'll get resolved eventually." Another thing I love about him- he isn't one to pry; he has no idea why Jake and I haven't spoken.

"Edward, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, love. What is it?" I turn around and face him. "Did you know that Jake has had feelings for me ever since I've known him?"

The question at first catches him off guard and then his face relaxes. "Well, yeah, I mean- oh, is that what this is about?"

I look at him, confused. "Yeah, he told me that he's always been in love with me…not that he brought it up, I kind of unintentionally yanked it out of him."

"Oh…well, yeah, I've always known. That's kind of one of the reasons why I trust him so much with you, believe it or not. He and I talked it out years ago, back when you moved here. At that point, I think you and I hadn't even started dating yet, and he was giving me that whole 'take care of her' speech. He told me where you two stood- that you two would always be friends and nothing more, regardless of the feelings he had for you. He said that he knew that you'd never feel anything more for him than friendship and that he'd never try and cross that line. That's why I've never been jealous of your friendship with him, Bella. He was honest with me right from the beginning. I can't necessarily go and hate the guy for it, you know?"

_That's probably the most noble thing I've ever heard._

Edward smiles and kisses me on the forehead. "Go see him, talk it out."

To his apparent surprise, I kiss his lips. "Thank you for being so amazing."

He laughs softly. "No problem! Now go." He gives my ass a soft smack.

I grab my keys and head out thinking about how lucky I am to have two great guys in my life.

I curse Jacob for being the way he is during the drive to his place.

I get out of my car and see his car parked outside. _Good, he's home._

I knock on the door a few times and I cover the peep hole so that he doesn't know that it's me. He opens the door and his face is wearing the funniest expression I've ever seen from him. His face is saying something between _oh shit _and _fuck my life._

I swallow and clear my throat in order to hold back the laugh I'm suppressing. "Hey, Jake." I look him up and down. He's wearing a worn Black Sabbath t-shirt and boxers. Clearly he's not going anywhere. "Hope I didn't catch you _running out the door_ again…" I say with emphasis.

He nervously scratches the back of his head. "Yeah, uh, nope. I'm home."

"Well good," I say, "Then you won't mind if I come in, right?" I smile at him._ Yup, he knows he's screwed._

"Uh, sure. Come in, Bells." And I do.

I sit down and he asks if I want anything, I kindly decline. He mumbles something about needing a beer. _Heh._

Coming out of the kitchen, he sits beside me, and I don't even give him the chance to speak. "Jake, I'm tired of you ignoring me. Can we please just talk about it?"

He takes a huge swig of his beer and nods, keeping his eyes glued to the floor.

"Jake, I don't understand why it has to be like this. We've been friends for years."

"I know, I know. I just didn't know how to face you after. It's just…_awkward_." He says, still looking at the floor.

"Will you look at me, Jake? I mean, how interesting can your carpet possibly be?" I managed to get a bit of a laugh out of him. _Improvement_.

"Jake...I'm sorry-"

"Now listen here, Bella…" _Oh, he's found his voice. _"Don't apologize for something you can't help. I understand that you can never love me like you love Edward. It hurts, but I'm not broken up about it. Well, that's a lie..it sort of does hurt me every day to see you with someone else, but at the same time, I'm just happy that you're happy. And I would seriously rather have you as my friend than not have you in my life at all. Besides, Edward's a genuinely good guy. You're just _that_ couple. I just came to the realization that I love you enough to let my feelings for you go…if that makes any sense whatsoever…"

_Goddamnit, Jacob, you always put me at a loss for words._

"Wow, I actually really am lucky then." I finally say.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"You and Edward. I love you both so much, I'm so lucky to have you guys in my life…and I guess that I was too blinded by my love for Edward to realize what I was doing to you…" But I know that Jacob is a very understanding person, a trait he inherited from his father.

"Look, it's alright, Bella. I came to terms with it a long time ago. I really didn't mean for it to come up when we talked-''

"No, I'm glad it did, Jake. I like that we were able to talk about this." I put my hand on his leg.

"Wow, for someone who's taken, you're getting awfully frisky…" He raises his eyebrows and I roll my eyes. _There we go, he's back._

"Now, is there anything else that we need to talk about before you stop talking to me again?" I ask.

"Um, nope, I don't think so…" He gets up and wanders into the kitchen. "…unless you think that me meeting a girl is worth talking about."

_Wait, what? _"JACOB BLACK, you get your ass back here right now!" _That's right, asshole, I'm full-naming you. _

He comes out with another beer. "You heard me, Swan. I met someone."

"Oh my god, I wanna hear all about it!" I don't realize how girly I sound until the words actually leave my mouth.

"Whoa there. I think you need to stop hanging out with Alice so much." He looks slightly frightened. _Well, he should be. When Alice rubs off on someone, it can be a serious thing._

"Sorry, I'm just happy for you!"

He starts laughing. "Yeah, that and slightly relieved."

_This guy knows me too well. _"Seriously, though. What's she like?"

"Well, her name is Leah. She's really beautiful and smart…so basically, _nothing_ like you."

I gasp and I punch him hard on the arm and he yelps. "Jesus, woman!"

"How did you meet her?" I ask, ignoring his comment and continuing the conversation.

He rubs his arm. "I was working last week until close and she came in with a small group of friends. She ordered a drink and all of a sudden it was like…the world had stopped. Like, okay, I don't wanna sound like an idiot, but it was like…it wasn't gravity holding me to the planet, it was her. It was just…a really surreal experience."

"That's really great, Jake. I'm happy for you!" I give him a big hug. "When do I get to meet her?"

"Bella, can you at least wait until her and I go on an actual date or two before you attempt to scare her away?"

I pretend to be offended. "And why would I do that?"

"Because you're hopelessly in love with me," he says jokingly. He earns no reaction out of me and nods awkwardly, "Gotcha…too soon."

I roll my eyes and get up. "Well, I guess I'd better go. I'll see you around, okay? Don't make this not-talking-to-me thing a habit, seriously."

He gives me a big and warm hug and walks me to my car.

_That actually went better than I expected. _

I pull out of Jake's parking lot, and like clockwork, my phone starts to ring. _Alice._

"Bella Bella Bella hey how are you what are you doing right now wanna hang out I miss you so much to tell you!" It all came out in one long sentence. Alice had spent the last week in Paris promoting her fashion line and she got back last night.

"Umm, well…" I start. I know this is going to result in us going shopping, so I must at least try and save myself.

"Don't even try and make up an excuse for not seeing me! Jasper's on his way to your place, he's meeting Emmett and Edward, and Rosalie…well, god knows where she is, I can't get ahold of her. I can come get you!" She was practically yelling, so I knew she was in her car as well.

"Well, I'm already out, actually. I'm just leaving Jake's right now." I say.

"Ouh." She knows why I'm at his house. "Is he talking to you yet or is he making up stupid excuses again?"

"No, we talked and everything's fine. But anyways I can meet you at the mall since I'm already out." I say, dreading the thought of shopping.

"Great!" She exclaims. "See you soon!"

Meeting at the mall, we walk around as I explain what Jake and I had talked about, and Alice tells me all about her trip.

"I mean, I don't know how you never saw how he felt about you." Alice says. "I mean we all felt bad for him, and we knew why he refused to talk about it. Except on Prom night. For about an hour, he and I sat in the park behind the school with a bottle of vodka. You remember that night? He was _wasted_. He started hitting on Rosalie, he was so hammered. He actually started to piss Emmett off. But yeah, he basically poured his heart out to me and made me promise to not tell you."

"I don't know, Alice. I guess my feelings for Edward clouded everything else. I mean, if you were in my shoes…well, does anyone else matter over your feelings for Jasper?" I ask.

"Well, now that you put it that way, no. But either way, it was a long time ago, Bella." I don't respond.

"You two are great friends, so what else matters now?" She adds.

"Yeah, Bella. Just get over it already." I her a mocking tone. Alice and I turn around and Rosalie is standing there. "Hey guys. Sorry, Alice, my phone was on silent."

"You bitch!" Alice says. "Shopping without me?! What could you possibly be shopping for?" She jokingly scolds Rosalie.

Rose puts her hand up in defense. "Lingerie for Emmett, actually. We've got an anniversary coming up."

"Oh, my specialty!" Alice says in rejoice, clapping her hands together.

The hours passed and I got tired. I can only shop for so long. Once you've been to over 10 stores, everything starts to look the same. While the girls are trying things on and being their usual girly selves, I get lost in my own thoughts.

I guess, now that I think about it, it makes sense how Jacob had always felt about me. I remember the day I met him. I actually had a bit of a crush on him, before him and I had become such close friends.

I moved to Forks the summer before 11th grade. At first I was reluctant to move, and who could blame me; I was a teenager living in Phoenix where it's always sunny and there was always a party. My father had received an email, after seeking a relocation, from the Forks Police Department. At first, we didn't even know where Forks _was_. They offered him a promotion to Chief and said they would pay for all of the moving arrangements. To this day I still don't understand why that town needed a police department to begin with- there was next to no crime rate, aside from the werewolf and vampire mythologies. Obviously, the thought of moving from a sunny place to a gloomy one didn't exactly thrill me. But, as we always did, my father and my mother and I sat together and discussed the possibility of moving. I knew that either way it was up to them, and though they cared about my opinion, I knew that I was going wherever they decided to go. Besides, the only argument I had was the fact that I didn't wanna leave my friends, and they pulled that same card that parents always do: _"You'll make new friends."_

It was the day after we moved in and we got a knock on the door from a very nice family. They had mentioned that they moved a year ago from a place called La Push, about 40 minutes away. With it being a small town, word had gotten around that there was a new Chief of Police moving to town with his wife and daughter. Billy Black, a nice man confined to a wheelchair, greeted us with some freshly caught fish with his two sons, Jacob and Seth. His wife had passed away a few years prior in a car accident. Jacob was the same age as me, whereas Seth was only 13. Billy introduced his family to us, and to my elation, it was revealed that Jacob now attended Forks High School and had already been there for a year. It made me feel better knowing that I would at least know someone upon starting at a new school. I remember thinking that Jacob was pretty built for a boy only in high school. We spent the entire summer together, telling stories and going for hikes. We saw a few movies and went to a few bonfires. I'm almost positive that we almost kissed once, too.

Jake knew that I was nervous about starting school in a new state, especially in the middle of high school. We drove to school together and we walked through the doors together. He wouldn't leave me alone for one second, always teasing me that I may get lost and find my way into a janitor's closet rather than a classroom. The quickest way to get to my first period class was to go through the cafeteria and when we walked in, there were streamers and ribbons of navy blue and gold hanging from the ceiling and wrapped around the posts. There was a huge banner above the eating area that read _Welcome Back, Bulldogs_. Jake walked me to my first class, which of course had to be Biology. The bell rang and I literally had to shoo him away and tell him that I'd be fine and that I'd meet him for lunch. I didn't want him to be late for _his_ class. I walked into the class, and my teacher, Mr. Banner, warmly greeted me and motioned to an empty seat by the window. When I sat down I looked to my left to see who I was sitting beside, ready to introduce myself, when I was stopped. My face fell when I saw my seating partner's head face down on the desk, passed out.

The whole class went by quite slow as I recall, my teacher standing at the front of the class passing out papers and discussing the curriculum for the year. My faceless seating partner's only movement was his hand being raised when I heard the name _Edward Cullen_ being called for attendance. Finally, as I had been praying for what seemed like forever, Mr. Banner stopped his lesson and told us all that we could pack up. It was then that the bell rang, changing my life forever. I gazed over as my faceless seating partner was startled out of his sleep and he brought his head up in a daze. He looked up and then to his right, straight at me, and didn't look away. When he looked at me, it was like his eyes were searching through my soul and I was frozen in place and in time. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life. His beautiful green eyes sparkled in the light, and his hair was all over the place, and I found myself wanting to run my fingers through it. He spoke first, very softly. The delicate smirk on his face was even perfect and I felt at that moment like I was at the top of a roller coaster, bracing myself for the drop. All he said was "Hi…" and I said it back, biting my lip, which made his eyes drop to stare at my mouth. The noise around us of students laughing and walking out of class finally pulled me out of my hypnotic state. I stood up to leave, but not before smiling at him again, and then I headed out of the classroom.

I still had stars in my eyes when I walked to my next class, which was English. It was a subject I was not only very fond of, but exceedingly good at as well. Even then, throughout the entire class, I couldn't get those piercing green eyes out of my head. I even caught myself saying "present!" when my teacher nudged me out of my daydream, asking me to pass a stack of papers behind me. I was trying to figure out why he had been staring at me. My thoughts went from my possible lack of hygiene to maybe having a pen smudge on my face. It's always the classes in which you daydream that time flies, and with that, it was time for lunch. I met up with Jake, as our classrooms were across the hall from each other and we headed to the cafeteria. He asked how my classes went, and I told him that they were fine, and he told me all about his. To me it seemed strange how whenever we discussed anything, we sounded like a middle-aged married couple discussing how their day at work was. We sat down and started eating and I was yet again caught in a daze. I thought about how it was only the first day of school and how I had an entire semester to find out as much about this Edward Cullen guy as I possibly could. Jake, noticing my extensive thoughts, stopped eating.

"Bells, what's wrong?" He asked me, his mouth still half full of food.

"Nothing…" I tried, but his left eyebrow raised at me. "…I was just thinking about how I wish I knew more people here, you know? It's kind of weird being the introverted new kid in every class, yet having everyone know who you are." I poked at my food with a fork, never meeting his eyes. What I really wanted to say, but didn't want to upset him, was that I wanted to make a few friends that were girls.

"Don't worry about it, you'll meet more people in no time. It's only the first day-" He barely got those last few words out when a paper airplane flew into the back of his head, followed by a loud voice.

"HEY, BLACK." He turned around, got up and walked a few steps and he was eye to eye with a guy big enough to be a quarterback in the NFL. They smiled and Jake shook his hand while being pulled into a hug.

"Good to see you, bro!" The big guy said. He looked over to me. "Oh, is this your girlfriend?" He was quick to sit down beside me, turning the chair so that the back of it was between his legs. He held out his hand and smiled at me. "Hey there, Beautiful. My name's Emmett, nice to meet you!" I reached for his hand, and he took it, turning my hand, kissing the top of it. I started blushing.

Jake let out a nervous laugh. "Nah man, she's not my girlfriend. But she's new, just moved here at the beginning of summer. Emmett, this is Bella Swan. Bella, this is Emmett. He's a year older than us, and so is his girlfriend, Rosalie."

"Oh, you're the one who just moved here with her parents. The new Chief's daughter!" He exclaimed. I nodded.

"Emmett!" I heard a screech behind him. "I leave you alone for 2 minutes and you're already flirting with the new meat?" The tall blonde looked at him teasingly, holding a tray. She was wearing what seemed to be 4-inch heels and a devilish grin. She was basically what every girl wished they'd look like.

She nudged Jacob's hip with her own, with a smirk, as she walked by him. "Hey Jake." That was the first time I had ever seen Jake blush. But who wouldn't? This girl was gorgeous.

"Is he bothering you? Because I pride myself on threatening his manhood at every chance I get." She smiled at me, putting her tray down. "Hi, I'm Rosalie. My friends call me Rose, you must be Isabella?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm Isa- well, Bella. Everyone calls me Bella."

She smiled at me and flipped her hair. "Nice to meet you, how do you like Forks so far?"

"It's not bad. It's a little…wet, and a little…gloomy-looking, but other than that, it's not all that bad."

Emmett chuckled. "Yeah, it looks like a place that'd be the perfect setting for a Stephen King novel…" Rosalie looked over at him, as if to say _…really, Emmett?_

"What?" He said defensively. "Okay, fine. I've seen the movies though."

She shook her head and focused back on me. "Well, Bella, if you ever want to go shopping or anything, let me know. I can show you around the place."

"Really? Uh, yeah, th-that'd be great. I mean, I hate shopping, well, I mean I like buying stuff but I hate the aspect of trying on clothes but I mean yeah…uh, a tour would be nice…" I was a fumbling mess only because I felt intimidated by this girl. She was literally the poster girl of perfection.

"Great!" She said while writing her number on a slip of paper. "Give me a call or a text whenever you want. I'm always down to go shopping."

"Did someone say shopping?" A tiny voice appeared from behind me. That tiny voice was followed by a tiny pixie-like person with short hair.

"Alice!" Rosalie said, "This is Bella, she just moved here. Bella, this is Alice, she's Emmett's sister." Alice came around to greet me and as I reached my hand out, she ignored it and pulled me into a tight hug instead. "Hey Bella, great to meet you! We have English together!" She pulled away and I awkwardly smiled at her forward gesture. "Best friends don't shake hands, best friends hug!" She glowed with happiness. I wasn't sure whether it was the result of her nature or just due to a large caffeine intake.

"Oh, sorry Bella. This is my boyfriend, Jasper. He's Rosalie's brother." I waved at him. "Hi there, Bella." He said firmly, "Good to meetcha."

"And I would introduce you to my twin brother, if I knew where he was…" Alice said, as I looked around. I felt so…accepted. It was only the first day of school, yet these people were treating me as if they had met me years ago. I had a feeling I was gonna like it in Forks.

I crumpled my garbage into a ball and tossed it forward, missing the garbage can. With a loud sigh, I heard my father's authoritative voice in my head telling me not to litter. I moved to get up and dispose of it properly, when a spill on the floor came out of nowhere. I unknowingly stepped on the slippery liquid and with a loud slip, I flew backwards towards the floor. I stopped in mid-air, caught by strong arms. I was lifted to balance myself on my feet, and I turned around to see the eyes I had been thinking about all morning. Mr Perfect himself. He smirked at me again, and I knew that goddamn smirk was going to kill me one day. I couldn't even smile because I was so surprised and so embarrassed at the same time. My cheeks must have been as red as a fucking firetruck.

"Whoa, Edward!" Alice said happily. "There you are! Good thing you were standing there!" I barely even heard her, except when she said "Bella, this is my brother Edward."

"Hi…" He said, his voice low.

"…Hi." I said back to him, just as I had earlier that morning.

"Gotta watch where you're going, pretty eyes." I swear my knees almost turned to jello on the spot.

_I strongly disagree. _His eyebrow went up and he cracked a smile, when I realized that I just said that out loud.

I finally took my eyes off him and redirected my eyes to Alice, who continued with her introduction.

"Edward, this is Bella Swan. She just moved here, she's the daughter of the new Chief of Police." She smiled at him suggestively. _Alice wasn't stupid._

"Beautiful." He mumbled.

"I'm sorry?" I asked him, unsure of what I heard.

"Your name, it's italian for 'beautiful'. It's fitting." His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were boring into mine, probing my every inner feeling and thought.

We stared at each other for what seemed like hours until Emmett cleared his throat, causing Rose to utter a small giggle.

Alice walked up to Jake and nudged his side. "Well, I think we know how this is gonna go."

Jake looked at us and then down to the ground. "Yup," he said with an emphasis on the "P".

And thinking back to that day, I can now see how Jake would have been upset by my meeting and instantly connecting with Edward. From that day on, Edward and I talked constantly, whether it'd be calling or texting and instead of letting me have fun driving my '_sorry we made you move'_ present from my parents (which is what I liked to call it), he insisted on picking me up and driving me to school every morning. Not too long after that, he and I had started dating.

From the moment I set my eyes on Edward Cullen, I knew that I was royally fucked.

* * *

I say my goodbyes to Alice and Rose, and we all go our separate ways to go home. Alice mentioned wanting to have a movie marathon with Jasper and Rose muttered something about wanting to test out a couple of new lingerie outfits with Emmett. Truth be told, I really could have gone without knowing that. Driving home, I think about how completely drained I am. The worst part about it is that I can't talk to anyone about what I'm going through. Especially Edward. How do I go about telling Edward, or anyone for that matter, that an angel-like being came into contact with me and transformed my life after Edward had died and gave me a second chance to live my life with him instead of dealing with the guilt of his death and my choice of leaving him? _Yeah, they'll commit me for sure._

The last few weeks had been really weird for me. I had to literally figure out everything about my life. Luckily for me, I already knew my way around Seattle from being here a lot in high school. Apparently after college, we all ended up in Seattle. I didn't know where I worked, I think that was the funniest part. The Monday after I woke up from this whole alternate universe thing, I asked Edward to drive me to work, purely because I didn't know where I worked. I didn't tell him that part, I had only asked for the ride. He thought that it was weird for my asking for a ride, considering we both have our own car, but he did it anyway. I got to the Crowley Publishing building, and I was immediately covered with goosebumps. Crowley…as in, Tyler Crowley, that stupid teenager who killed Edward in the car crash. Wow, I can only imagine how that story would have killed the Crowley name. I looked at the wall, which read where everything was. As as soon as I walked off the elevator onto the 3rd floor, I was greeted by someone whom I had assumed was my boss.

"Hey, Bella, how was your weekend?" I remember him asking me.

"It was good, thank you…_sir_." I said with a smile. _Now who are you?_

"Oh come now, Bella. How many times are we going to have this conversation? Demetri will do just fine." He chuckled. "I want you to feel at home here, Bella. I may be your boss, but I don't want these "Sir" and "Ma'am" formalities here. But anyways, I just wanted to ask you when you'd be done with the Meyer account, the romance novel?" He asked.

And yet again, I was hit with deja-vu. I realized that everything that had happened in my _other_ life was happening now, except now here in Seattle, rather than Los Angeles. The only thing that had changed about my life, literally, was Edward and the Cullens. I was the one who came across the piece of writing and I had pitched it to my boss back in LA, so I guess had done it here instead. If everything was how I believed it was, I was still an editorial assistant. And I was also up for a promotion.

"Not too much longer, actually. I just have to edit the last few chapters and I believe they'll be ready to send off." I said, matter-of-factly. That was actually what I had been working on the week before Edward's funeral.

"Awesome, you are great. Please, let me walk you to your cubicle." _Thank god, _I thought._ Because I have no idea where it is._

Thankfully though, I've slipped into a natural working habit since then.

On top of finding my bearings with this new life of mine, I also had Jake to deal with. Now that things are going quite well, I can relax. I know that Laurent had said that I'd eventually learn the things I'd missed out on, but really now, he can't imagine it'd be easy for me. Not that I wasn't grateful, of course. I wouldn't give Edward back for the world.

With all of these thoughts running through my head, I finally get home after talking to Jake _and_ shopping with the girls, and I decide to relax. I open the door and the apartment is empty. I call out Edward's name but I don't hear him. In the living room, there's an empty pizza box and a few six packs of beer on the table. _Emmett and Jasper. _I shake my head and continue to walk when my dress gets caught on the corner of the end table. _No no no_… I try and pull it off, causing a huge rip in the side of my dress. _Ugh, of course._ I drop my purse and walk down the hallway and I eventually find Edward sound asleep on the bed, on his back. Standing in the doorway, I watch him for a moment. I take in all of his perfect features, and silently I thank Laurent for giving me this chance.

I tiptoe to the bed and climb on top of him. _Still asleep_. I plant a kiss on his lips. _Nothing. _I shift down to place a few kisses on his neck, except this time, I get no reaction from his face, but a reaction from another place. Now I know he's faking it. Suddenly, his eyes open and he grins at me. He looks into my eyes and then down at what I'm wearing. _Yeah, I know he loves this dress._

"Mmm, I won't object to waking up to you like _this_." He moves his hands up my thighs and notices the tear in the side of my dress. He looks up to me, questioning what happened.

"I ripped it on the end table." I say with a pout. He looks at the tear and pauses, as if to think about his next move.

"Is this your favourite dress?" He asks.

"No, why?" I ask, confused.

He took both ends of the rip, and tore it more. And more. And even more, until the whole thing ripped right off my body.

"Mmm, that's better." He says. _I actually can't believe he just did that. It's so…hot._

"I was going to ask Alice to fix that, actually." I say with a blank stare.

"She still can, Bella." He says with a chuckle.

"Yeah but then she's gonna ask what happened-"

"Alice asks too many questions." He silences me with a kiss. I shift above him and start to feel just how hard he actually is. _Oh shit. _

My hands reach down and pull his shirt up and over his head.

He roughly grabs my hips and starts grinding me on top of him. My lady bits are already starting to tingle. _I love when he does this._

"Edward, you have to slow down. I'm…ahh, about to cum already, baby." And with that, he stops.

He flips us over so that he's on top but gets up to take off his pants. He gets back on the bed and kisses his way down to my bra. He looks at it for a second as if it's the most offensive thing he's ever seen and then unhooks it from me and tosses it behind him, never looking back. He takes my right nipple into his mouth and I moan loudly. His mouth is so warm and I can barely stand it. I'm moving my hips around, looking for some sort of friction, _any_ kind of friction, and he takes notice. He moves to my left side and starts rubbing the place I need the most with his right hand.

"God, Bella. I can already feel how hot and wet you are. Is this all for me?"

I nod, my eyes closed.

"Now now, Bella, you know better than to close your eyes. You never know what surprises I may come up with." I smile, barely registering what he just said. I barely notice that he shifts down and puts his tongue flat on my center.

"OH SHIT!" I yell, my eyes now open and watching.

"See? I told you. But you like surprises, don't you, Bella?" He asks, his eyes black and completely serious. He continues what he's doing, moving his tongue faster over the fabric.

"Edw-ohhhh…" I can barely function at this point. Edward moves his head up, much to my disappointment. He tears my panties off, holds them to his face and inhales deeply as his eyes roll to the back of his head, and then they land somewhere with my torn dress.

He groans as he moves his head back down, digging right in. One long lick up my slit and I cry out.

"You're so fucking wet, Bella, holy shit. I make you this wet?"

"Yes, Edward…mmm…" _Always did, always will._ His words alone almost bring me to the edge.

"Seeing you this wet and _feeling you_ this wet," He says, sticking a finger inside me. "…makes me so hard. So fucking hard for you, baby."

_Have I mentioned that I love his dirty mouth? Ugh I love him. So much._

I'm completely leaking at this point and he's licking up every drop. _And loving it._

His finger is moving in and out of me at a rapid pace by now and I can't handle it.

"Come on, baby. I know you're close. Mmm, you taste so good." I'm panting like crazy.

"Edward…mmm, Edward…" _So close…_

"I love it when you say my name, Bella."

"Edward…you need to stop." I try and still him but he's not having any of it yet.

"Oh? Mmm...and why is that?"

"'Cause I need you to fuck me, and I need you to fuck me _right now_." I can barely get the words out before he growls loudly and stands up to shove off his boxer briefs.

He wasn't lying. He's rock hard. _And it's all for me._

He gets back to his place in between my legs except this time his face is in front of my own. He gives me a hard kiss on the lips as he takes his cock into his hand and guides it to my wet opening. After guiding the head up and down my slit, he finally pushes it in and we both cry out. I wrap my legs around his waist and I hold on for dear life.

"Holy f-fuck, Bella. I don't know if I can last that long, _holy shit_." He thrusts hard into me, and I meet every single thrust. _He feels so good._

"Mmmf, Edward, you feel so good. _So fucking good."_ He smirks at me, as if he's saying _yeah, I know._

"God, Bella, you feel so good around me…so hot."

He pulls out, much to my dismay, but I know it's because he's trying to last longer. I moan out loud and he looks up into my eyes.

"You're so fucking tight, Bella. You feel so good…ugh, just bear with me." And with that, he plunges right back into me.

"Mmm, harder, Edward" I moan, and he picks up the pace yet again.

I can feel the pressure building up in my stomach and I can tell that Edward's close as well. He's thrusting into me with wild abandon and I know it won't be long until I'm screaming bloody murder. _Ffffuuuucccckkkkk._

"Bella, open your eyes. I want to watch you cum." _Oh shit. _

"Oh…_oh_…OHHHH, Edward! Oh my god, Edward, Edward…" I start yelling to get his attention.

"What, baby? What is it?" He doesn't stop his thrusts.

"Right…fucking…_there." _I say, and his hands grip the sheets above my shoulders and he goes for the fucking gold.

"Do it, Bella. Fucking cum for me. Right now. All over my dick, baby…_yeah_."

"Oh fuck…oh…AHHHH EDWAARRDDDDD" I scream, falling apart all around him.

_"FUCK_, Bella…" He drops his head onto my shoulder as I feel him explode inside of me. He finally stills, breathing heavy.

I say nothing, I just try to recover from what I've just experienced. Edward gets off me and moves to sit on the end of the bed with his head in his hands.

"Holy…holy shit, Bella. That was…" He can't even finish his sentence.

I laugh, still breathing exceptionally heavy. I shift to the side of the bed and stand up, take a step, and fall back onto the bed.

"Oh _fuck me_." I say, bringing my hand to my forehead. Edward's head snaps at me.

"Are you okay Bella? Did you trip?" He's looking at me with a goofy grin on his face like I'm an idiot.

"No," I pant, "I think my head lost communication with my legs." I say.

"What are you talking about?" He looks confused.

"Edward, I can't walk. I can't even fucking _move_. What did you do to me?!" Edward's goofy grin dropped, and his eyes turned back to lust. He crawled over to me and lay beside me.

"Seems I did a good job then…" His fingers moved to my arm and I stopped him.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, don't you dare touch me right now!" I said, half laughing, still panting.

He breaks out into a roaring laugh. "I think…that's the first…time you've ever said that to me…" He says between breaths.

"Don't worry, baby, the only time I'll ever tell you not to touch me is times like these when you fuck me into a catatonic state." His smile drops again and he shakes his head and sighs.

"You can't say shit like that to me, Bella." He grabs my hand and pulls me up lightly.

"Are you okay to walk now?" He says, still slightly amused. No, scratch that. He's not amused, he's _proud._

"Yeah…I think so." I get up, and he walks me to the bathroom.

"Come on, baby, let's have a shower. I promise I'll be a good boy." He lets me lead the way, but not before I whisper "maybe I don't want you to be a good boy" and then I find my footing and take off running, Edward chasing me, naked, to the bathroom for a nice, _hot_, shower.

.

.

.

.

.

**So yay, first real updated chapter in about 3 years! Hope I haven't lost you.**

**I'm thinking of posting this at ****_The Writer's Coffee Shop_**** as well, as I've been hearing that is starting to delete stories with strong sexual content going beyond the M rating. So maybe to be safe, I'll post it there as well. When I get that all sorted out, I'll post a link to it. **

**There are also plans to add a soundtrack to this fic, probably towards the end. Feel free to contribute any songs you feel would be appropriate and I'll consider adding them!**

**Once again, thanks for reading! Reviews are nice, good or bad. **

**xo**


	6. Layla

**-CHAPTER 6-**

**EPOV**

One of my favourite things in the whole world is be to lying in bed with my Bella. I've loved this girl since the moment my eyes landed on her and everything about her brings light into my life. I fully intend on marrying her one day and I'm sure she knows it. She's lying on my chest and I'm holding her close to me. She stirs against me as I start to stroke her face. My life was quite plain and ordinary before I met Bella Swan. Sure, I was only in high school at the time but my life was pretty average. The classes, the parties…it was all one big blur; none of it mattered.

While growing up Alice and I were always together, being twins and all, and we spent every waking moment together. That is, until she met Jasper Hale. Well, _met_ isn't really quite the word. They've known each other basically since Rosalie, Jasper's older sister, and I met in the second grade. Alice had remembered seldom playing with him as a kid, but when he spent a summer in Texas and came back, Alice took notice of the changes in him and went right after him. They started dating quite a few months before I met Bella. So needless to say, when Alice and I stopped hanging out as much, I became quite lonely. _How pathetic is that?_ Your sister ditches you and starts gaining interest in boys and fashion, and you get lonely. Emmett is a year older than me, so growing up he and I weren't as close as Alice and I were, but still, he was a great guy to look up to. Watching him go through puberty was absolutely hilarious, his voice going up and down in pitch. With Alice, I could go on imaginary adventures in the forest and build forts to sleep in, and with Emmett I could go outside and throw a football around until the streetlights came on and my mother called us inside.

I remember the day I met Bella like it was yesterday. I was never really that much of a morning person in high school, so I was completely asleep by the time Bella walked into my Biology class as a new student. When the bell rang at the end of class I was startled out of my sleep and when I looked to the right, I swear I looked into my future. I know…how corny, right? You date people in high school and if it's long-term it never lasts past the first year of college, if you're lucky. But there was something about that girl that made all of my senses fuzzy. Something inside me just snapped together in place and I was whole again. The sound of students gathering their books around us ceased to exist. In that moment, it was only her and I on this planet. When she slipped and landed into my arms in the cafeteria, it basically sealed the deal; touching her sent electricity up my spine. The dates we went on were simple movie and coffee dates and I found myself wanting to know everything about her, from the earliest memory she had up to the day before I met her. She was my drug and I was the addict. It wasn't long before our simple and innocent dates turned into late nights at the Forks drive-in (yeah, Forks doesn't have many things, but it has a drive-in), her and I in the back seat exploring each other's bodies with the movie acting as a background noise. I was experienced in the department of sex, but to my surprise, Bella was not. She told me that guys had been attracted to her back in Phoenix, but nothing had ever happened with them.

Prior to meeting Bella, I dated a girl named Lauren Mallory for 8 months. She was a sweet girl whom I met through Alice. Everything with her was perfect; we were blissfully happy for a while, but something had changed in her towards the 6 month mark. She was approached by a modeling agent while we were Christmas shopping one day in Seattle and he gave her his card. For the last couple of months in the relationship, she started losing weight and she dyed her hair bleach blonde, making it a lot brighter than her naturally honey-blonde hair. She became quite vain, also. She would pass by a mirror, or anything that gave off a reflection altogether, and look at herself questioningly as if she had anything to fix. She started fishing for compliments at every moment she could and I knew that she had started skipping meals. By the time our 8 month "anniversary" hit, I was turned off by her completely. She had lost 25 pounds and her hair was brittle due to all the bleach she was using per hair treatment. She took up smoking and smoked about a pack a day. Her voice went from sweet and angelic to nasally congested. Her and I were fighting constantly because I didn't want to have sex when she did, which was all the time. She also started carrying around a very weird necklace that was a thick crucifix on a chain, and to my knowledge her family wasn't religious. She had turned into a superficial corpse, and the girl I loved was gone.

One night specifically sealed the deal when she came over to have dinner with my family and I. She excused herself to use the bathroom and when she came back to the table, everyone was quiet, except my mother who gasped. I looked up at my mother and she looked horrified. She motioned that Lauren had something on her face, in which I looked at Lauren, who finally had taken the hint that she had a small but noticeable white spot under her nose. She wiped it off quickly, giving an _oops_ look and that's when I exploded.

I immediately stood up, the chair flying behind me, scaring the shit out of everyone, especially Lauren. "Are you fucking serious?!" I roared at her. "How dare you not only bring that shit into my mother's house, but show enough disrespect to do that here? Are you fucking crazy?" I saw my mother wince at my curse words, but she didn't say a word.

"Relax Edward, it's not—"

"Don't you dare say it's not a big deal, Lauren. You're doing drugs in my house and it's not supposed to be a big deal? Why don't you go ahead and do a line on the table right here? Why don't we all just have a fucking turn?" I was fuming. At this point, my father stood up.

"Edward, enough. Lauren, I think it's time for you to leave." He said firmly, but with a gentle tone.

She stood up. "I'm…I'm really sorry you guys, really. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, I'm so sorry. Edward—"

"Just leave, Lauren. We'll talk tomorrow. And don't forget your cocaine vile." I spat the last words out with disgust, as I nodded my head to the crucifix necklace on the table which she took as she left quietly. The rest of my family looked at me with concern.

"Excuse me." I said as I left the table and went up to my room.

When I ended it the next day, she begged and pleaded with me. She told me that her agent forced her to start doing it because he said that it would help her career. She told me that she only tried it a couple of times and she didn't even like it and that she was 'going' to stop. I wasn't buying any of it. She tried everything, but I knew that the girl I met was not the same anymore and I didn't want to be there when she flushed her life down the toilet. When I firmly stated that I wasn't giving in, she did a complete 180 in her attitude and scoffed at me. I didn't deserve her anyway_,_ she said, and I needed to learn how to have a little fun. Not too long after that, she and her family were flown to California. God knows where she is now, although I do remember seeing her in a magazine once. She was in some sort of perfume ad and she looked terrible, like a photoshopped kate moss-type. _Not for me._

Bella came into my life like a bat out of hell. Every waking moment with this girl since then has been complete bliss. We've had our fair share of fights, but I feel truly blessed. I do wonder, however, what's been going on in that pretty little head of hers lately. I know that something's been going on but she won't tell me. I may not act like it, but I know something's off. Lately, she just seems so…lost. I can't explain what it is but she questions a lot of things lately. Last week she asked me for a ride to work, which I thought was weird because we have two cars for that reason— we can both go to and from work without stress. I know that eventually she'll come to me, but for now I remain secretly worried about her. Maybe it's about her possible upcoming promotion at Crowley Publishing. I really hope she gets that promotion.

To be 23 and have the job that I have tends to shock people. I got out of school when I was 21 and I instantly became an apprentice to Riley Biers himself, due to a professor of mine who, in his words, _saw great potential in me _and referred me to him. I wasn't an Ivy League student, which is what a lot of firms expect you to be. I didn't go to any graduate schools, or any of the top 10 undergraduate schools like Harvard or Yale or Cornell. I went to UDub, and they had a good enough program for me. Riley Biers is a legend in Seattle, known for designing many buildings downtown. He and I have grown quite close and he's stated many times that I am the closest to a son that he's ever had and that one day, what's his will all be mine if I so choose. He's quite an older man, well into his late 50's. He's never been married, yet he's been content all his life. I started out as his apprentice and for almost a year, I was doing all of the apprentice-like duties— getting the coffee, scheduling appointments, etc. He knew how bored I was with what I was doing but that only prompted him to request more things from me. When he found me staying late one night reading textbooks in his office, he and I stayed up all night talking about architecture and my passion for it. From that night on, he and I had a solid friendship and he instantly promoted me to a draftsman position. He told me it would start after I completed my last duty as an apprentice— find a new apprentice.

My job being a draftsman is not an easy one. In fact, it's an exhausting one. My job is to basically turn Riley's abstract designs and ideas into blueprints. And like I said, being 23 and at this level already? Not an easy thing to come by, nor is it easy to deal with sometimes, having men who started out as coffee fetchers like you, still to this day doing janitorial duties. Riley is very much like a father to me, apart from my own father, of course. I'm very fortunate to have learned what I have from this man. He'll never admit it, but I know that something's going on with him. If he's keeping something from me, I know it's because he doesn't want to worry me. He's been shaking a lot lately and going for a lot of 'appointments' but his drive towards his work is as strong as it's ever been.

I am very blessed to be where I am right now career-wise, and being with Bella. Alice keeps trying to persuade me to pop the question— you know, that question that makes every man have to unbutton his top collar button and loosen his tie. And it's not that I don't want to marry Bella, because believe me, _I want to_. But I feel like she wouldn't be comfortable with it, like it'd be too soon for her and she wants to be more settled in her career. Or maybe I'm just a stupid and nervous little boy. One of the two, but I'm leaning more towards the second rationalization. I do tease Alice as well because it's actually surprising that she and Jasper haven't gotten engaged yet. Sure, 23 is a young age to get married, but if you knew them, you'd think they're already married.

"I do want to get married," she told me once, "but I feel like if we were to get married now, we'd immediately become complacent and jump into having children and we're not stable enough for that yet, you know?" With her schedule being so crazy, flying here, there and everywhere for fashion shows, and with Jasper's late-night bartending and gigs with his band, they'd really have no time to take care of a baby. I'm pretty sure that Jasper's going to propose soon, although knowing Alice, she's completely oblivious to the fact. So I find it rather funny that Alice is pushing me to propose to Bella.

I've told Riley many times about Bella, though they've never actually met yet. He basically has, though, due to my incessant talking about her. "Hold onto that girl", he always tells me, "you never know when one day your clock's gonna stop ticking." And I do plan on holding onto her, forever.

Bella stirs against my hands that stroke her face. She opens her beautiful eyes to me and smiles in delight. _God, I love this girl. _

"Mmm, good morning handsome." She smiles and stretches, eyes closed.

I scoff at her. "Handsome, eh? Hard to tell when you've got your eyes closed." I grin at her.

She snickers at me. I take note on how I love her early morning expressions as she sits up with me. "What were you doing while I was asleep?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just thinking about the day I met you and then I started thinking about you…and back to when I was dating Lauren Mallory—" I didn't even get her last name out fully when I felt a pillow whack me in the face. It didn't hurt, but it fucking took me by surprise.

"Edward Cullen!" She says to me in a mocking tone. "Don't you know that I'm the only woman that you're allowed to fantasize about, ever?" She pretends to be hurt and angry. "Like, don't you like, follow 'crazyGFprobz' on Twitter? You should know these things!"

I laugh and grab her by the waist and pin her down on the bed, tickling her.

"Edw..aaahh…stop it! Can't. Breathe. EDWARD, STOP!" She squeals.

"No, no, Bella. I believe the words you're looking for are '_don't stop'_." I start to kiss her neck and she moans but then pushes me off.

"Okay, just for that…yeah, _that's_ not happening." I pout as she rolls her eyes and gets out of bed. Naked. _Fuck my life. I cannot get enough of this girl, ever._

With wide eyes, she realizes that she's naked and reaches for my shirt off the floor and throws it on in a hurry.

"Bella, why did you cover yourself?"

"Well, you know, it's been a long time since—" She stops herself. _What is she talking about?_

"Since what? Honey, I've seen you naked lots of times over the past few years. I actually love it. Why have you become so shy all of a sudden?"

"Nevermind…I just don't want you to attack me again." She says sheepishly. "Besides, I have to get ready for work."

I nod as I get up out of bed, put on some pants, and head to the kitchen to make some breakfast. It's taken a good 5 minutes so far to decide whether I want to make french toast or bacon and eggs. Fuck it, they'll both take too long. I slept in with Bella, and that's far better than having a nutritious breakfast. _Cereal it is. _

I get about halfway through my mountain of cereal before Bella comes out of the bedroom looking so fucking hot, I can barely stand it. My pants are instantly getting tighter and I'm nearly choking on my mouthful of cereal. She's wearing a pair of black heels, which I find amusing since she's the clumsiest person I've ever met, black business pants that slightly flare out at the bottom, and a plain and thick white blouse, but thin enough where I can faintly see her navy blue bra underneath. The buttons are done up to the middle of her bra, showing a little bit of cleavage. Her long brown curls are free and they fall about halfway down her back. She takes one look at me, smirks, and looks at what I'm eating and her face drops.

"Edward…are you serious? Cereal? That's not necessarily a healthy breakfast." She says, sounding strangely like my mother. Though thinking about my mother at a time where I want to pin Bella against a wall is awkward, so I push that thought out of my mind _real_ quick.

"Says the one who skips breakfast." I retort.

"Edward you know that I can't eat breakfast or else I feel bloated and sick. I can't eat before 10 am. But cereal? You're gonna be hungry in an hour. That's not nutritious!"

"Well then, Bella, by all means…have a seat on the table in front of me and I'll have myself a nutritious breakfast." I say; her face drops and her mouth opens slightly. She blushes as she ponders the thought, and I swear her knees almost buckled at my offer. _Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes…_

She sighs loudly. "Baby, as perfect as that sounds right now, I have to get going." She gets to the door as I jump up and skip over to the door before she can get it fully open. I push it closed with a loud bang and push her up against the door with my hard-on against her center. She yelps in surprise and exhales with a laugh. For future reference, I freely admit that anytime that I'm around Bella, I am one horny motherfucker. So before you go thinking "wow, is that all you think about?" The answer is, with Bella? _Fuck yeah_.

"Edward…"

"What have I told you before, Bella? Saying my name only eggs me on." I kiss the tip of her nose and make my way down to her neck. _She loves that shit. _I make my way down to the center of her breasts and I earn a moan from her.

"What is the meaning of this? Why is your shirt revealing yourself to the world? Revealing what's _mine _to everyone?" I bite the side of her right breast and she hisses.

"Well, baby, you know I've been wanting that promotion…" She replies seductively. _Smart ass._ My head snaps up to hers in disappointment and she breaks out into a fit of giggles. "Oh Edward, you're too easy. Baby, I've gotta go!"

"Mmm, nope." I lift her up and she wraps her legs around me. _Ahhh that friction. _"You're gonna pay for that comment."

I rub myself against her a few times and she moans loud for me, as we establish a rhythm. Everyone can say what they want, but there's something totally hot and erotic about dry humping. I mean sure, it's not as good as the real thing, but for foreplay? _Count me in._

"Mmm, Bella…" I moan.

She starts pleading. "Ummmf, baby, _please_. I'm so…"

"What?" I ask, "What are you? _Are you close?_"

"W-wet. So…mmm, so wet. And close." Holy fuck, I almost cum at her words. I can't believe what I'm about to do; most would call me an idiot. But, I said I'd make her pay.

"Good." I stop my movements and remove her from me. She stares at me with a blank stare as I open the door, hand her purse to her, and push her out the door.

"Have a good day at work, baby." I say with an evil smirk.

"Edwa-what the fuck is wrong with you?!" She demands, desperate.

"I told you that you were gonna pay for that comment, didn't I? Now hurry along to work dear, we wouldn't want you to be late. After all, today might be a big day for you! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for work, but not before I relieve myself in the shower. Have fun being soaked all day." I wink at her and close the door as she stands there, defeated and frustrated.

I turn around to go to the bathroom and I hear a loud "FUCK!" out in the hallway. I must say I deserve a medal for that. _That was hard_. Well, that's a given. But what I did to Bella? That was not easy.

_Mission accomplished._

* * *

After my much needed shower, I head to work, finding Riley already there, taking some pills.

"Morning, Riley…what are those?"

"Oh hey there, son. Just taking my blood pressure pills and some vitamins. Something you'll learn when you're an old man like me." He chuckles, bringing me into a hug.

"Oh, come on, Riley, you know you don't look a day over 20." He always makes those old man jokes and jabs. Truth be told, he really doesn't even look 50. His voice is a bit rundown, though, due to smoking. As I sit down, I breathe in and take a second to appreciate the smell in here. It's definitely a man's office. His office always smells like a cigar shop.

"I knew there was a reason I kept you around, kid. You keep me young." He grins, motioning for me to take a seat. "Did you take a look at the folder I left for you on Friday?" He's a great architect, but he's way ahead of his title. He's not only an architect, he's also a part-time city planner, which is I guess what you could say is the rank above a full-licensed architect. Like I said, he's a legend in Seattle.

"Yeah, I did…" I say, not saying anything else.

"Well? What did you think?" He asks.

"I…don't get me wrong, and forgive me if I'm out of line, but I don't think that a nightclub is what's needed in that plaza."

"Oh? And why not? Nightlife is big with you young folk, brings in a lot of money." He says with a grin.

"Well yes, but there's already one there. My friend Jacob owns Eclipse and the last thing you want is competition in the same vicinity. As a young person, I would find this very annoying." He laughs at my jab, but nods his head.

"Okay Edward, so what do you propose?"

"I was thinking…there's already a club, a movie theatre, a high end sushi place, an expensive dessert cafe and a glow in the dark mini-putt. Why not add a traditional restaurant? If you think about it this way, the club is for adults only, right? Plus we have a sushi joint that is way too expensive for parents to want to bring their children to. The mini-putt and movie theatre are the real money-makers because they cater to any and every age. Think about how much more traffic we'd have there if we had a restaurant too. Adding another club would not only be tough to compete with, but it would only cater to adults. It would probably not do very well, in my opinion."

He knits his eyebrows and ponders for a second. _I hope I wasn't too forward_. I mean as close as we are, he's still my boss. "Hmm…I see your point. A restaurant _would_ be a lot better for that area. But it could take months before a franchise could take interest."

"Are you kidding? The place isn't even built yet and the city's been receiving emails regarding what's going there. Many owners of franchised restaurants are taking interest without a single brick having been laid. But with that being said, why go with a franchise?"

What I said took him by surprise and he just looks at me. "What do you mean, Eddie?"

"Why not start something new? Why not give someone a chance to start their own business? Why add a Red Lobster, for example, when you could build a new place that no one has ever heard of? _New_ is what attracts people. People know all of the franchise restaurants, but what they don't know? That's what will spark their curiosity."

Riley's face instantly changes from skeptic to relaxed.

"Well, Eddie, I believe you've scored your first project then." He says, as my heart jumps into my throat. "Wh…what?"

"You heard me. I'm giving you this project. It's yours."

"But I'm not licensed—"

"Edward, legally I cannot allow you to do this project on your own. You're still going to be working under me, but you're going to be calling the shots. Obviously I'm going to have to OK what you decide, but I'm basically leaving it up to you."

_I cannot believe he just said that. My own fucking project?!_

"Why are you doing this for me?" _The look on my face must be priceless right now_.

"Because I'm very curious to see what you're going to do. I want you to be able to spread your wings a little bit. If I feel that your wings are spreading too quickly though, I will not hesitate to clip them, if you know what I mean. I want to see what you're capable of, kid."

"Oh my god." I run my fingers through my hair and let out a big sigh. "I won't let you down, sir."

He chuckles and gets up. He walks around to me from behind his desk and reaches for my hand. "Congratulations, Edward."

I firmly shake his hand with a shit-eating grin on my face.

"I'll contact the board and pitch the idea to them. Do you think you should sketch up some blueprints for me? Actually, what I'll get you to do is make a presentation so that _you_ can present the idea to the city board members." _Queue my jaw hitting the fucking floor._

"Thank you so much for this opportunity, Riley. Seriously, I promise I will devote every minute to this project."

"That's where you're wrong, Eddie. Your job is your job, don't get me wrong, but don't do what I did. You work to live, not live to work. Don't jeopardize what you have with your lady just to put up a few lego blocks."

He's right. This only adds to the reasons why I respect this man so much. He's not like other bosses where he doesn't care about what other things you have going on, he wants your work done and duplicated and on his desk by 6 am Monday. Riley's serious about his work but values the other things in life too. As far as I knew, he's never been married. I didn't know there was a story behind that.

"Let me tell you something, Edward. 25 years ago, my company really started to take off. I was also engaged to be married to the love of my life. Her name was Layla, just like the song. To this day, 'Layla' by Derek and the Dominoes is my favourite song of all time. I was in New Jersey for a couple of weeks helping my sister pack and move into her new house after getting married. At a diner one morning, I was eating breakfast when I looked over and saw her sitting alone at a booth. The minute I saw her, I not only saw my future, but I found myself daydreaming about what our children would look like. I saw us 50 years later, sitting on a porch swing and watching our grandkids play. When a waitress approached her to pour her some more coffee, I noticed a rather big shiner on her face. I was raised to be respectful to women, so you could imagine how angry I was to see such a bruise on a beautiful woman's face.

"I walked right up to her and asked her what happened, while apologizing for my forwardness. He was just a mistake, she said. Turns out her ex boyfriend had gotten drunk and rough one night. When she denied his advances, he hit her in the face and sent her flying across the room. It wasn't long before I moved to join her at her table and we got to know each other. The rest from there was nothing short of bliss. We fell deeply in love and I always told her that she was beautiful, just like the melody. She was _my_ melody. The song itself and it's lyrics had their meaning to me, but it's those last 3 minutes that make you really love the song. It wasn't long before we were living together, as she left New Jersey to be with me. She was an orphan and had no family there, which caused her to live a nomadic lifestyle. She never liked to live in a place for more than a year; that is, until she met me.

"About a year after she moved in with me, I proposed to her and she gladly accepted. We couldn't wait to start our life together as man and wife. It was around the time that we got engaged that we found out that we were expecting a child together as well. We were scared as new parents are, but we were also extremely excited. On top of being newly engaged and expecting, my work started to pile up. My company was really taking off and I started working very long hours.

"The busier I became, the less time I was spending at home. I would spend 16 hours at the office, and most nights I ended up sleeping there or I just poured myself into bed at the early hours of the morning. I started becoming so immersed in my work that Layla didn't bother cooking dinner for me anymore. I didn't realize what I was doing to her, emotionally. She was carrying my child and she needed me while I was focused on my work and not much else. This of course caused us to start fighting. She would tell me that I was working too much and not spending enough time with her, and I'd tell her that I was doing it for our family and I had no other choice. Our fights got so bad that eventually the couch was my bed.

One night, I got home from work at around 8 with some big news. I got my first official city project and I got the green light to build the art museum downtown. To this day, every time I see that building I wanna burn it down. I told her that the city hired me to build it, which meant that we were officially millionaires. I was extremely excited to relay the news to her because this meant that I didn't have to spend so many hours at the office anymore. I had more time to spend with her and my son that was on the way. When I told her of the news, it didn't phase her. She had already become bitter towards me and told me that my money meant nothing to her. She told me that she was leaving me that night, and I begged her to stay. I told her over and over again how sorry I was and that I had time to spend with her now. She scoffed at my comment and said that she was glad that I could pencil her in.

"She didn't budge in the slightest when I asked her to stay. Her bags were already packed and I was pleading. I didn't want to lose her, I loved her too much. She left our room in a hurry and in tears. I was yelling and screaming at this point and telling her that we could work it out. She lost her footing at the top of the stairs and tumbled all the way down. We made it to the emergency room but unfortunately, we lost the baby. I lost my son."

I gulp. I can't imagine how I'd feel if I were him.

"By the time she was released from the hospital, on top of being bitter, she was depressed and she blamed me for losing the baby. Of course by then I did the only thing I knew how to do— I started becoming my usual work-a-holic self again and started working on the museum. Working kept my mind off of the fact that my baby boy was gone, and for the most part, so was my fiancee. She spent time at home recovering while I worked. She finally snapped out of the funk she was in and packed her things one day while I was at work. I came home that night to a note on the bed and her ring on top of it. The note read _I don't blame you anymore, I only blame myself. Can't say we didn't try. You'll always be in my heart, and I hope that someday you let someone into yours." _

The pain in his eyes is almost unbearable.

"I'm…so sorry, Riley. Do you know where she is now?"

"Yeah, she's still traveling the world. When Facebook came out, I signed myself up to connect with some old friends and somehow she found me and added me. I looked through her profile and saw pictures of her in Europe, Canada and a few third-world countries. She never got married. We talked a bit and caught up, but it didn't last long. She ended up deleting her account and I haven't heard from her since. This is why I'm telling you, Edward. Don't put your whole life into your work. Don't let your lady suffer because of your ambitious mind. You won't realize what you're doing until it's too late."

I nod, not sure what to say to him after that.

"So," He thankfully changes the subject. "I imagine that you have a lot of work to do. We gotta get you ready to build a restaurant! And find you a person good enough to run it!" And thus my idea. Rose went to college for the culinary arts; her dream is to own her own restaurant. I know she can do it. Right now she works as a mechanic with Emmett at his shop. Rosalie's always had a thing for cars, but her real dream is food.

I stand up and turn to leave. "I'll get to work right away. I can't thank you enough for this, Riley." And with that, I leave him alone. I'm almost certain that he's going to be spending the rest of his day thinking about Layla. I sit down at my desk and call Bella to tell her the good news, I know she'll be excited.

"I hope you know that I don't want to talk to you right now," Bella answers. _Oops, spoke too soon._

"Heh, you're the one who answered your phone. And why is that, love?"

"Because you're an asshole?" It sounded like a question but I know it wasn't. I mentally stroke my ego for that one.

"Well I have some good news, baby." I say proudly. "Riley is giving me the project. He says that legally I can't do it on my own because I'm not licensed yet, but he's letting me call the shots on the project because he wants to see what I'm capable of."

"Oh my god, baby, that's great! You deserve this, I'm so proud of you!" Her tone instantly went from aggravated to excited. "We should celebrate or something!"

"Nah, I don't think we need to—"

"No, Edward, seriously, we should celebrate! I'll call the girls and we'll make a night of it!" Geez, she sounds more excited than I do.

"Okay," I agree. "What should we do?"

"I'll call Jacob and tell him to reserve a table for us at Eclipse. I mean, where else can we drink for free?" She says with a laugh.

"You've got a point there, babe. But alright, you call the girls and I'll see if I can get off work an hour early or so."

"Sounds good! I have to go though, I have to finish editing this piece." Bella says.

"Oh, before you go, what should be the theme for tonight? You know how Alice is big on that sort of thing…" It's true. Every time we go out as a group, we all have to abide by a theme, whether it's that everyone has to incorporate a certain color into their wardrobe, or animal print, or whatever.

"I'd say the theme should be…_panties: optional._" And the line goes dead. Fuck, that girl knows what to say to make my blood travel south for the winter. This was her subtle way of getting me back for what I did to her earlier. And just like that, I break off into fantasies about Bella rather than starting off on the blueprints for my new project.

.

.

.

.

.

**Thought I'd give you a little bit of EPOV so that you could understand more about my take on his character, as well as a few things about the past before the story began. **

**Also, I've posted this story at ****_The Writer's Coffee Shop_**** (I'm really liking it over there!) as well, and I have the link posted in my profile.**

**See you next time! And thanks for reading!**

**xo**


	7. The Zoo

**-CHAPTER 7-**

**BPOV**

_Edward is an asshole; that's all there is to it_. The way he left me in the morning will not go unpunished, believe me. _8:30 is too early to be feeling like this_. As I sit down at my desk, I immediately pull out my laptop and load it up. I barely get to sip my coffee when my phone rings.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Morning, Bella, can I see you for a minute in my office?" My boss, Tanya. She's a copy-editor, also known as a sub-editor at Crowley Publishing. Demetri is the Editor-in-chief, and he proofreads and gives the final word on whether something is ready to be published. It's a weird food-like chain in publishing. I'm at the bottom at the entry-level position as an editorial assistant. I still get the coffee and answer the phones but I secretly help Tanya a lot with her editing. She said right from the beginning that she needed an assistant, but most importantly someone who she could rely on and review any mistakes before sending her work off. It's an arrangement that only her and I know; Demetri probably wouldn't like the fact that her assistant is helping her do her job. That, and plus I'd hate to think that Demetri would think she was incompetent. Tanya's a really great person, she just isn't good at punctuation and her spelling is a bit off sometimes. But she's become a good friend and I do what I can to help her.

The only reason Tanya is where she is, is because her and Demetri were dating and he needed to fill the position, and fast. She had the credentials and he decided to hire her. I don't really know the full story, but they dated for a couple of years and eventually it just didn't work out between them. There was no bad blood and Demetri said that he wasn't going to let their personal issues affect her job. Now when they converse, you can tell that the spark is still there. They still love each other, but Tanya has stated many times that as much as she misses him, it could never work out. While he's a genuinely nice guy, he's a workaholic, whereas when Tanya's not at work, she just wants to relax or have fun. Demetri is the head of the department. The Crowley family have made their millions off of published books, why would they have to work? They come in about once a month to check up on the numbers and see how things are running. Other than that, they're rarely seen around here. The only way to get into contact with Mr. Crowley is through Demetri.

I step into her office and sit down. "Morning, Tanya. What can I do for you?" I ask, pulling out my notebook and pen.

"Oh, please, Bella. Put that thing away, I just wanted to ask you something."

_That's what she said._ "Okay, what do you need?"

"Well, I'm going on a date tonight and I don't really know what to wear…so I was hoping you could help me choose. I brought two choices with me—"

"Really, Tanya? I interrupt with amusement. "Is this really why you called me in here?"

"Yeah…" She looks at me skeptically. "Why?"

"Well, it's just that it's not…work-related, you know? I just wasn't expecting it."

She laughs at my apparent nervousness. "Bella, what do you think I pay you for?"

"To do my job?"

"No, to help me. And this is important because when it comes to men I have no idea what I'm doing and I need assistance. And it just so happens that you're my assistant…who assists me when I need assistance. Which means that right now, I'm in need of—"

"Assistance?" I finish her sentence with a chuckle. I've never seen her frazzled like this; even when in the wake of a deadline and she has too much work piled up.

"Exactly. Like I said, I have no idea what I'm doing." She walks over to her couch where two dress bags are laying.

"And I do?"

"Bella, you managed to land every woman's ideal man. Every woman, myself included, wants what you have."

"He and I started dating in high school, it's different. It's not like I met him in a club or something. If he and I never went to school together and we never knew each other, I'd never be able to land him now." _And to think I threw that away before._ Tanya rolls her eyes.

"Whatever, Bella. The point is, you're experienced in this. I met Demetri on the internet, for god sakes!" She throws her hands up in the air.

"And there's nothing wrong with that, Tanya." _Another job of mine: keeping her up when she puts herself down_, w_hich is a lot._

"Well, call me old fashioned, but I think that internet dating is for lazy people. Like, 10 years ago, if you would have said that you met someone on the internet, you'd be laughed at! It's just scary how common and normal it is, with everything being so technology-based. Sure, it broadens your horizons and shows you a multitude of choices, but whatever happened to that moment where you meet someone by chance and then it blossoms? The meeting of a partner is the beginning of a journey and there always has to be a story to start it off. 'Oh, we met on the internet and now we have 6 kids' - where the hell is the romance in that?!" I have to smile at her. She really is a romantic, more than any woman I've met - even Alice. She spends her career editing stories, but has yet to edit her own.

"Tanya, I think you've edited a few too many romance novels. When it happens, you'll know. Until then, just keep trying and put yourself out there. There's really nothing to be nervous about. The nerves will go away all on their own. It will feel right, someday." I assure her with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Bella. You always know what to say." She comes over as I stand up and give her a hug. "Now, which one do you think I should wear?"

She holds up two dresses against herself, alternating between the two. The first one is royal blue with a halter neckline. It's tight, but not in the sense of it being a second skin. It would show off her curves perfectly and ends right above her knees. The second is a flowy white spaghetti-strapped dress with a large red flower and green leaves on the bottom left side. As much as I loved the royal blue, the white one is more casual and fun.

"Do you know where you're going?"

"He said mini golfing and then dinner."

"I think you should go with the white. As much as I love the blue, the white is more fun and not as tight. It has a bit of a flirty feel to it." Unfortunately, when it comes to fashion, I know what I'm talking about. I've had to listen to Alice talk about fashion since the day I met her. I know a thing or two about it, yet I fight her every time she tries to pick outfits for me.

"I think you're right, thanks Bella." She smiles and puts both dresses away. I pull another Alice and just like the woman that I am, I probe for information.

"So, does this boy have a name, or are you keeping him from me?" I hate being a girl sometimes. The logical side of me takes over for a second and I think to myself, _really?_

"Oh, no! Um, his name is Sam and he's a bartender. We met at the grocery store, actually. I dropped my wallet and he brought it back to me while I was loading my car. He was really sweet and asked for my number so I thought I'd give it a try."

"You're not talking about Sam Uley, are you?" _Wow, small world. _Sam Uley is a few years older than Jake and I, as is Tanya. He's been like an older brother to Jake since they were kids. When Jake started hiring his bartending staff, he immediately talked to Sam.

"Yeah, actually, how do you know him?"

"He's one of Jake's oldest friends. He bartends at Eclipse, the place Jake owns."

"Oh! Such a small world! So then I don't need to tell you how sweet and charming he is." She batts her eyelashes and smiles.

"He's a really great guy, Tanya, I'm happy for you. Let's hope that you get your fairytale with this one."

She smiles and nods. Tanya is just one of those people who never catches a break. She'll give you the shirt off her back if you need it, but when needing something from someone else, everyone turns away. She has been taken advantage of so many times. I'm glad that she met Sam. If I know Sam as well as I think I do, this could be her chance at happiness.

"Well, now that that's been taken care of, can I ask you a question?" She asks me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, of course, what is it?"

"Is everything okay? I mean, you don't look so good today. You look frazzled and…your hair..." She looks me up and down and I let out a laugh.

"Everything's fine, Tanya, it's just…well, Edward." She knits her eyebrows, not understanding. "He decided to send me off to work…well, frustrated."

It takes a second before she catches on to what I mean. "_Ohhhh. _Oh my god, Edward? Really? Okay, Tell me everything!"

I proceed to explain what happened from the time I woke up, right to when I got out of the shower. I tell her about how he slammed the door shut and pushed me up against it, working me up. And of course, stopping what he was doing and pushing me out the door.

"Oh my god, that is fantastic." She laughs loudly. "I mean, I'm sorry Bella, but that just shows how much fun you two have."

"Yeah, we really do have a lot of fun. Despite how much of a pain in the ass he is, I really love him a lot."

Every morning I'm reminded how lucky I am when I open my eyes and see him. To think that I was a stupid and confused teenager to leave him. I love that I have him now, but I still wish that I could just hop into a time machine and turn back the clock, back to when I was about to leave him at the airport. I wish I had the memory of forgetting about the trip and coming home with him instead. I wish I had the memory of going to college with him and buying our apartment together - those in between things that made our relationship stronger. The college experience I remember was fun, I suppose. I never really had the full-on college experience, though. I mean yeah, I went to parties sometimes. But most of the time I just went to class and did what I had to do, curling up at the end of the day watching movies. Of course, that's another reason why I hate having a 5 year blackout of my life. College with Edward and my friends must have been a riot. Whenever Edward mentions a college memory, I smile and nod, or throw in a "yeah…" but it's so fucking frustrating to me that I have no actual memory of it. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret what was done for me, but I can't help but wish that I wasn't so stupid in the first place. For the rest of my life, I'm going to have the image in my head of his funeral, and I have to live with the fact that I know the pain of losing him. He'll never know that and it hurts that I can't tell him. All things considered, I have him now and I am so lucky and also grateful for Laurent, wherever he is.

My eyes start to water and Tanya becomes concerned. "Bella? What's the matter?" She pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, nothing," I smile through my watery eyes. "I was just thinking about how much I love him. Happy tears, Tanya."

"Good. I'm glad that you're happy, Bella, I really am. Well, my dear, let's get you to work, shall we? I have a job for you. Boss Tanya is back in business!" She jokes, and she leads me out of her office.

After copious amounts of copying, a coffee run and an abundance of scheduling appointments for next week, I finally get a moment to sit down before lunch. Tanya went out for an early lunch and asked me to "pre-edit" a couple of chapters for her…whatever that means? I should get about an hour of peace and quiet before most of the office gets back. This story is actually quite good from what I've read and edited. It's a women's novel, but nothing like the _Fifty Shades_ trilogy that everyone's been raving about. It's about a woman who's raped and then ends up pregnant. Despite having the option to abort or put the baby up for adoption, she decides to keep it, citing that the baby did nothing wrong and she wouldn't feel right to give it away. The book goes through all of the obstacles she faces. I really believe that this book will do well, as does Tanya.

Of course, as soon as I lower my pen to the paper, my phone rings. _Oh, it's Edward._ _Super._

"I hope you know that I don't want to talk to you right now." I answer bitterly. I'm not actually mad, but he knows what he did.

"Heh, you're the one who answered your phone. And why is that, love?" Such a smart ass.

"Because you're an asshole?" _And it's not a question, Eddie._

"Well I have some good news, baby," He says. "Riley is giving me the project. He says that legally I can't do it on my own because I'm not licensed yet, but he's letting me call the shots on the project because he wants to see what I'm capable of." _Holy shit, are you serious?_

"Oh my god, baby, that's great! You deserve this, I'm so proud of you!" I really am. If anyone deserves this, it's Edward. He's such a hard worker and he's wanted this for so long. "We should celebrate or something!" He deserves a night of celebration, god knows he's earned it.

"Nah, I don't think we need to—"

"No, Edward, seriously, we should celebrate! I'll call the girls and we'll make a night of it!" He's so modest. He needs to learn that it's okay to be proud of himself. He's a hard worker, sure, but he always shrugs it off like it's no big deal. Like anyone actually knows a 23 year old who's in the position that he's in. This is a big deal.

"Okay, what should we do?"

"I'll call Jacob and tell him to reserve a booth for us at Eclipse. I mean, where else can we drink for free?" I laugh at the thought. Might as well, plus it's not like Jake won't be celebrating with us.

"You've got a point there, babe. But alright, you call the girls and I'll see if I can get off work an hour early or so." _Aaaaand Bella's mind hits the gutter for a split second. _Unfortunately, as much as my mind loves to think about Edward coming home early and penciling me in for a nice round or two, reality sets in and I realize that I have to finish my work.

"Sounds good! I have to go though, I have to finish editing this piece." I say, regretfully.

"Oh, before you go, what should be the theme for tonight? You know how Alice is big on that sort of thing…" Ugh, he's right. Stupid Alice and her stupid theme nights. I'd have to call her and see what she says. But hell, for now, let's make Edward sweat a little, shall we?

"I'd say the theme should be…_panties: optional._" And I hang up before he can respond. If I know Edward like I do, he's not getting any work done for a while. _Checkmate._

* * *

After about an hour of quiet, most of the office comes rushing back from their lunches. Another hour flies by, and I decide to play around on the internet. Tanya finally comes back, though she's on the phone. I thrust paper into the air to let her know that I finished what she wanted, and instead of acknowledging me verbally, she walks right past me with a smile and a wave. _Someone's in a good mood; I guess Sam called her. _Speaking of Sam, must call Jake!

"Black's Escort Service, this is Jake!" _Ew._

"Jake, that's so wrong. I don't even want to think about you as an escort." My forehead drops into my hand and I shake my head and laugh.

"What about as a stripper, rubbing up on all of your girly bits?" _Oh god, kill me now._

"I just ate, asshole. I do not want to think about you in a little black thong, rubbing up against _anyone_."

"How did you know that I own a black thong?" He teases. I make gagging noises. _Gross._

He laughs hysterically. _Glad I could amuse him._ "What's up, Bells?"

"I have some news! You know that project that Riley was starting in the plaza that you work in?"

He groans. "Yeah, where he wants to put another club?"

"Yeah. Well, I think Edward pitched some ideas to him and Riley said that he's curious to see what Edward's capable of. He told him that legally he can't pull the reigns on his own because he's not licensed, but he's going to let Edward call the shots on the entire fucking project!"

"Wow, really? That's so great! Holy balls, he must be excited then!" Jake says. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love that Jacob and Edward have such a good relationship.

"He's really excited, but of course, I don't think he wants to get his hopes up, so he's just being his usual modest self. And I told him that we should celebrate tonight. Are you working tonight, Jake?"

"I'm not, actually. But I'll make a call and get Sam to book a table for…well, I guess…everyone, right?"

"Yeah, everyone. And Sam isn't working tonight, he has a date." I say, smiling at the thought of Sam and Tanya going on a date.

"…Right. How in the hell would you know that?" He says amusingly.

"Because he's going out with my boss. Well, my boss' copy-editor…who I'm an assistant of. Okay yeah, my boss, Tanya."

"Oh shit, that's right, I forgot about that. But wow, eh? Small world."

"You have no idea." I say with a nod. Suddenly I hear a voice in the background. A female one. "Oh, did someone have a sleepover last night? Leah, isn't it?" _What kind of best friend would I be if I wasn't prying into Jake's entire life?_

"Uh, yeah. The past 3 nights, actually!" He says smugly. "You'll get to meet her tonight, she can't wait to meet you."

"Awesome, tell her I can't wait to meet her either! What time should everyone be there?"

"Uh, how about…6:30? Does that work for you?" He asks. I look at the time. 2:02. _3 more hours and I can go home._

"Yeah, that should work. I have to go, but I'll see you both tonight! Thanks Jake!"

"No worries, love. See you tonight!"

Just as I proceed to go back to work, wouldn't you know it, my computer makes a beeping noise. _Email. _Ever since Alice got the hang of the whole computer thing, she takes any opportunity that she can to email instead of call. She's very proud.

_Hey Bella, just talked to Edward. I'm so happy for him! He mentioned that you wanted to celebrate tonight. You're lucky it's friday; after the day I had, I could use a few drinks. Bridezilla From Hell wants me to design her wedding dress— she's worse than me, Bella! She's trying to go over my head, professionally, and of course "daddy's" paying for the wedding so his precious little snowflake is getting everything that she wants. And did I mention that she asked for feathers and sequins on the corset of the gown? Like, ARE YOU KIDDING? They're paying me up the ass though, so I guess I have to deal with it. They also said that there isn't a price too high for 'the dress of her dreams'— well, let me show you something about prices! Ugh, ridiculous. Anyways, Rose is in too, and I got a "Fuck yeah!" response from Emmett. Jasper's working a day shift doing inventory stuff and getting the night off. I assume you've talked to Jake already? _— Alice.

That's one thing I love about Alice. You only have to make one phone call, and it's to her. Suddenly everything falls into place and you don't have to lift a finger.

_Haha, sorry love, but I find that hilarious. The fact that you have finally found someone who makes you feel how you make all of us feel! *dodges a table* Just kidding! Yeah, I spoke to Jake. He has the night off, but he'll be there and he's bringing his…girlfriend? I don't think they're official yet…I don't know, I think it's that awkward stage where you don't know what to call her because they're not officially a couple. Good to know that Rose and Em are in, although come on, you know they wouldn't miss a party. Anyways, I should get back to work. Love you! See you tonight! 3 — Bella. _

I grab my red marker and proceed to edit the 5th chapter.

And then the 6th.

And then the 7th.

And then the 8th.

Oh, one more coffee run?_ Sure._

Tanya's on the phone again?

4:00. One more hour.

Another email from Alice:

_Hey Bella, sorry to bother you again but I've been trying to rack my brain for a theme tonight and I basically gave up and decided that we should just look absolutely beautiful and drive our men crazy…sound good? Wow, and can I tell you that I tried one of those Rockstar drinks for the first time and I am just FLYYYIIINNGGGG right now? - Alice. _

"Sure, I've got a slot open for 10:30 on Monday. Great, I'll let Ms. Denali know you're coming."

9th Chapter done.

I start to feel a bit of an ache near the center of my chest and I look down and see a bite mark left by Edward this morning. _Son of a bitch. _Suddenly my mind goes back to what happened this morning. OH my god, the way he was touching me, rubbing up against me…_talking to me._ Oh, he's going to pay for that later. But I'm not sure I can last until then. There's something about the way I respond to Edward. I can't explain it, but it's instantaneous. He could just look at me a certain way and I could be good to go for hours.

_"Well then, Bella, by all means…have a seat on the table in front of me and I'll have myself a nutritious breakfast."_

_"What have I told you before, Bella? Saying my name only eggs me on."_

_"Mmm, Bella…"_

Just then, Tanya pops her head out of her office. "Bella, stop waiting 'til the clock reaches 5:00 on the dot. I know you have plans tonight, it's 4:48. Go home already." She's still on the phone and she winks at me. I mouth a _thank you! _to her and pack up my stuff. I need to go home and have a shower. _Or something_.

* * *

Ever have those days that weren't necessarily stressful and you feel like you didn't do enough in the day to deserve to be tired? Yeah, it's been one of those days. After tossing my purse and work bag on the couch, I decide that a shower is much needed.

I strip out of my clothes and step under the hot water. I love the feeling of hot water on my skin after a long day at work. I stand there for what seems like hours and relax under the hot spray of water. My muscles immediately respond to the now scalding hot water. I massage my scalp with shampoo, even though I shampooed my hair this morning; I fill my loofa with body wash and I wash the day off my skin. After I've cleaned myself, I feel completely at ease— that is, in all places but one. _Edward won't be off work for another hour, I have time for some "me" time. _I can't get rid of this ache and I haven't been able to all day. My lady bits have been throbbing all day and I need some sort of release. _Thank god I have a removable shower head. _

Changing the dial from scalding hot to warm, I prop my foot up on the soap dish area of my standup shower and bring the shower head to where I need it the most. I shiver when it hits my flesh and I throw my head back at the feeling. Up and down, up and down. I can't stop; it feels too good to stop. _Wait, why the fuck would I want this to stop? _I close my eyes and imagine Edward's fingers touching my center while he smirks at me. He's teasing me and I love it. He sticks one finger inside of me and I jump at the feeling, the intensity of the water making me jump. His face moves down to my chest, causing my nipples to harden at the thought of him touching them. He goes further down, and I feel his mouth where I love it the most. I imagine his mouth on me and the feeling gets too intense for me; I know that thought is enough to get me to cum already, so I bring my imagination back to him standing in front of me. Suddenly he grasps his cock and rubs it against my opening, teasing the fuck out of me. _He knows I love it when he does that. _He pushes into me and I cry out, moaning his name loudly. I meet him thrust for thrust. In natural Bella fashion, I lose my footing and slide down the wall of my shower; landing on the floor, my back against the wall. I don't stop my ministrations and I start to feel the hint of my orgasm approaching. I hear nothing around me except his dirty words in my head. I don't hear the sound of anything hitting the floor when my orgasm sneaks up on me and I scream Edward's name and I see nothing but stars underneath my closed eyelids as I cum, hard. _Holy shhhiiiiit._

I come down from my high and I open my eyes, startled. Edward's standing above me, his bag now on the floor, staring at me through the fogged glass of the shower door. He isn't moving, apart from his rapid breathing; his chest moving up and down. He has one hand on the glass and the other hand grasped hard on his jean covered bulge. _Fuck._ I completely forgot that he was getting off work early. There are no words between us, only my staring at him, looking completely satisfied and his staring at me in disbelief. Finally, after what seems like forever, he grins wide and speaks.

"Bella Swan…you are in _so_ _much trouble_."

_Uh oh._

He opens the shower door and takes both my hands and pulls me up, my legs shaking underneath me. The water is still on and he reaches down to grab the shower head and reattach it to the wall.

"Bella, what possessed you to do this?" His smirk never leaves his face but he sounds completely serious.

I laugh out loud. _Are you serious right now?_ "How about because of the way you left me this morning? I was thinking about you all day. How else was I supposed to relieve myself?" He loves hearing that he's been on my mind. Fuck yeah, babe. _All day._

"And you decided to do this when I was on my way home?" He raises his eyebrow. _Of course he's amused by this._

"Well, truthfully, I forgot that you were coming home early. You didn't expect me to wait for you, _did you_?" The smirk falls from his face. He thinks for a second, pondering his next move.

"Was it good?" His voice is low.

"So good. I'm still trying to recover." Taunting him is always a bad idea. But when am I ever a good girl around him?

"I believe you...I _heard_ you. Do you know how fucking hot that was to watch? I wish you would have waited for me, though." His face is completely serious but I hear the light tone in his voice. "I can make it better for you, baby," He whispers huskily as he runs his nose along the side of my neck, his breath hot against my skin. Oh, here comes that familiar feeling. I find myself in the same predicament I've been in all day— _throbbing_. Time to push his buttons and get shit done.

"What's wrong, baby? Are you jealous that a shower head made me cum today when you couldn't this morning?" He immediately stops what he's doing and he looks up at me offensively. _That did it_. I wish I could say that I regret those words but I really don't.

Fully clothed, he pushes me back against the wall and attacks my mouth with kisses. We're both under the spray now and his clothes are getting soaked. He roughly lifts my left leg around his waist and I feel him hard against me. Our tongues fight— his for dominance and mine for more. His body presses so tightly against mine that I can barely breathe. His hands move from my neck and face to my heaving chest, palming circles into my breasts. I moan and instinctively move my hands down to rid him of his now soaked clothing. I remove his belt and toss it over the top of the glass doors. I push him away hard for a chance to take him in— his white t-shirt, now dripping wet, clinging to his perfect body and no longer tucked into his jeans. He smirks again and removes his jeans, kicking them to the side. I grab the bottom of his shirt and rip it over his head, which I'll admit is a little more difficult when it's soaking wet. The last to go are the black boxer briefs, and boy, I almost don't wanna take them off purely because of the sight before me. Dripping wet and in boxer briefs. I snap a mental picture as he chuckles and removes his briefs, also kicking them to the side. My eyes never leave his erect penis and I yelp when he forcefully grabs my left leg again and props it around his waist and grabs my chin and holds me to the wall.

"You want me so fucking badly," He says proudly. It's not a question. I moan and he rubs himself against me, stroking his cock in between my wet folds. _Fuuucckkk. _

"Say it, Bella. Tell me you want me," His lust-filled eyes stare into mine as he points himself to where we both want him to be. He's waiting on my words.

"I want you so fucking bad, Edward. I have all day. I always…_ahhh_...have and I always fucking will. Please…" _Please, I need it._

"Our shower head will be deemed insignificant after I'm finished with you, Bella." _Oh shit._

"Show me, Edward," I whisper in his ear and bite his earlobe. And then finally, grasping onto my waist, he pushes into me. _Hard. _We both cry out from the intensity and he groans when he starts moving.

"Oh shit, Bella. Fuck, so…hot." He lifts me up so that I'm locked around his waist as he starts pumping into me.

"This..better than…fucking…the shower…head?" He asks between thrusts.

"Mmm, you have no idea…aahhh." It isn't long before he hits that wonderful spot inside of me. "Fuuuuck, Edw…ard," I struggle to even say his name between pants.

"That's right, baby. _Mine_." And just when I don't think it's even possible, he tightens his grip on my hips and raises me higher and pulls me down harder on his dick.

"OH FUCK, EDWARD. Oh, yeeeeessss," I hiss at the pressure. He smiles while his mouth is open, panting just as hard as me. I start to tighten around him and I start to scream. I can't stop, it's too much.

"That's it baby, cum for me…ahhhh, yes. All over me, baby." His dirty words get me every goddamn time. I hold on for dear life as I scream one last time and finally, I see white and ride out my orgasm while Edward is not too far behind.

"Fuuuuck, Bella. Fuck…fuck…fuck…so fucking…AHHHH BELLA..." He explodes inside of me while I ride him with everything in me, never stopping. My body can't take anymore but I'm determined to cum again. Edward picks up on my insistence.

"Don't stop, baby…I'm not done." I pant, and he instantly springs to life. I clench my inner walls tightly around him and I swear his eyes almost fall out of his head.

"Oh shit, baby. You can't fucking do that to me!"

"Oh fuck fuck fuck, here it comes…Edward…cum with me, baby." I didn't need to tell him twice.

We both scream out our second orgasms as he loses his footing and as I did earlier, we collapse to the floor to the shower, joining his wet clothes. After a minute of catching our breath, he pulls out and I whimper at the loss of contact. He stands up on shaky legs and pulls me up with him. He carries me out of the shower and plops me on the counter while he grabs his clothes and turns off the shower.

"So, Bella," He says, still half-panting, "What did we learn?" He says in a mocking voice. _Hm, maybe that 'Fuck' is the word of the day?_

"That the shower head is nothing compared to your cock?" He smiles smugly at me, the bastard. Still panting, I can't slow down my heart rate for the life of me. "However," I continue. "…if you ever…leave me like the way you did this morning…I'll cut it off, you understand me?" Edward laughs at me and nods his head.

"As much fun as that was this morning, I don't want you to cut my dick off, so I promise not to do that again." He wraps his arms around me and gives me a hug. He finds my lips and kisses them, and our tongues start to dance all over again. His hands starts to slowly move down and I stop him.

I can't help but giggle at him._ Sorry, I'm out of commission, buddy. _"Eddie, I don't think I could handle anymore orgasms. I'm good, but…thank you?" I always feel awkward about saying _thank you _after sex. I mean, you say thank you after receiving a gift, maybe a massage - but after your boyfriend fucks you senseless? Saying thank you to that is like patting him on the head and saying "good boy, you can go now."

"Come on, you insatiable girl. Let's get ready for our night out." I take his hand and hop off the counter, completely satisfied and looking forward to the night ahead.

* * *

I decide that navy blue will be my color tonight. Thankfully I own enough accessories to open up my own store, due to Alice constantly giving me free shit. I decided on a navy blue lace dress and my matching blue clutch; the blue ring that my father bought me for my high school graduation seemed appropriate as well. And well, _fuck it. _I don't own navy blue shoes, so black will have to do. Alice texted me to tell me that she was doing an off-white and pink combination. Rosalie called me to tell me that she was going full out and going with red and gold.

I'm about to contemplate my jacket options when I see Edward walk out of the bathroom, and fuck me, does he look amazing. Mind you, he's dressed rather casually but I can't tear my eyes away from him. In addition to his nice fitting black jeans that show off his wonderful assets, he's wearing a navy blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He has his aviator sunglasses tucked into his shirt and his Converse shoes and leather jacket in his hand. Quite casual, but my god, so sexy. He looks up and catches me staring and grins. The grin doesn't last long, though, when he rakes in my appearance. His eyes roam my body and I feel completely vulnerable to his gaze.

"Bella…you look…_perfect._" He stalks closer to me as if I'm a forbidden fruit to him and I let out a small giggle.

"Is there a reason as to why we're matching?" He realizes what I'm giggling about and laughs himself.

"Nope, complete coincidence. I could go change if you want?" He says. _Yeah, you're not changing out of that until I tear it off of you later._

"No, no. Don't be silly, I actually like that we're matching!"

"Me too actually. I mean I do hate it and think it's tacky on most occasions but tonight, you look so good that I'd be honored to match with you. In fact, wear your leather jacket too. We're gonna do this right and sicken a lot of people in the process!" He leans forward and kisses my forehead. I quickly run and grab my leather jacket hanging in the closet. We grab our things and head out the door to go meet everyone.

"I am curious to know what's underneath that dress though, not gonna lie." He says, opening the door and motioning for me to go first.

I roll my eyes in frustration. "Of course you are! But only I know the answer and that's going to kill you all night." He groans as we make our way out of our apartment and to the car.

When we get there, amongst the long line which won't be a problem, I see Alice and Jasper ahead and, when spotting us, she toddles over to us and I mentally take note of how she looks absolutely stunning.

"Bella! Oh my god, you look hot! You look…oh my god!"

I blush at her compliment. "Thanks, Al. But look at you! You look so beautiful, so classy." She's wearing her long white lapel coat overtop an off white and pink lace dress. She's accessorized in pale pink all the way down to her shoes. Jasper looks like his usual self, dressed in a jean jacket and jeans with a Johnny Cash belt buckle, with a plain grey t-shirt. He's also wearing his usual construction boots. For a bartender and part-time musician, you wouldn't think that Jasper deep down is a country boy.

"Should we go in or wait for Rose?" I ask, feeling a bit chilly. Edward moves beside me to keep me warm.

"Oh! No need to wait, they're here! And what is she…OH MY GOD, _I'M GOING TO KILL HER_!" Alice squeals.

"What's wrong, Alice?" I ask, confused and cold.

"She's wearing that goddamn leopard print jacket, that's what's wrong! She knows how I feel about that hideous thing! Ugh, makes me sick just looking at it!" Alice complains, and we all let out a laugh. As a fashion designer, if there's anything Alice hates in this world, it's animal print—_especially_ leopard print. Rose doesn't wear it often, but when she does, she usually makes sure it's when she's out in public with Alice so that, in Alice's words, "she has to be seen with Rosalie wearing it." She does look really nice in it though. Only a certain kind of person can pull off leopard print, and she is one of them.

Rosalie is a knockout. She looks amazing, not that it's difficult for her— she's the kind of girl who can wear sweats and a baggy sweater with a bun on her head and still, men look at her. Under the jacket she's wearing that Alice is already bitching about, she's wearing a sleeveless frill dress that's cream colored on the top and red on the bottom, pleated; red sash wraps around the waist. She's accessorizing with gold heels, a matching gold heart locket that Emmett bought her the day before our senior prom, a black pleated clutch and a clustered pearl bracelet. On top of that, her nails match her fiery red lips. Beside her is Emmett, in his dark washed jeans, white button down shirt and black blazer. He's also wearing his Seattle Seahawks hat and green tinted aviators. Typical Emmett.

"Hey guys!" Rosalie greets us, while Emmett is looks me up and down. "Eddie, I mean no disrespect, but my god…Bella looks fucking sexy!" I blush crimson and Edward chuckles.

"Yep," he says, with an emphasis on the "p". "I know, man, believe me."

"Okay," I cut in. "I'm cold, can we please go in?" Alice and Rose nod and hobble over to me as I start walking towards the door.

We walk in and it's packed. It's friday night, why wouldn't it be? As soon as we walk in, Paul, one of Jake's friends and employees, comes running over.

"Hey Bella! Oh my, you look beautiful…Rosalie, Alice, you both look very lovely. And the gang's all here! Follow me, we reserved a booth for you guys. Jake just got here, actually. And Jake's spoken to all of the staff, so it's open bar for all of you. Anything you guys want is on the house tonight." Emmett and Jasper cheer behind me and order a round of beers for all of us right off the bat.

Jake, of course, had to reserve a booth near the dance floor. He of all people knows how much Alice and Rosalie love to dance when they drink— speak of the devil and he shall appear…with a very beautiful girl beside him.

"Hey guys!" He greets everyone individually, us girls with kisses and the men with handshakes and hugs. He's sporting his usual leather jacket and Doc Marten boots and band t-shirt. "Edward, congrats on the promotion, man! You must be fucking stoked!"

Edward takes a sip of his beer and nods. "I am, actually. I mean, it's not that big of a deal, but it's a step up from what I've been doing." He's _so_ modest.

"Bullshit, man! This is big, you deserve this. Do you not realize that all of that is gonna be yours when that guy croaks?" Jasper throws in.

"Dude, he's not even 60 yet." Edward argues.

Emmett throws in his two cents as well. "Doesn't matter, man. He's molding you for a reason; this is only the beginning. Why not fucking celebrate it with the people you love? So shut the fuck up, stop being a modest little prick and admit that you're more excited over this than you were when you got your first boner. And let's get drunk fo' free!" We all laugh at his words and clink our bottles together. Edward starts to relax and chugs back his first beer. The girl beside Jake, whom I can only assume is Leah, smiles nervously and pokes Jake to be introduced. Is it weird that I'm feeling a bit like an overprotective mother right now? She seems normal. I'm mentally chastising myself for eyeing her up and down like most girls do. She looks very well put together. She's wearing a cream coloured sleeveless lace dress and a jean packet, complete with a plaid blue scarf. She's accessorizing with a dream catcher necklace and moccasin wedges. _I'm definitely digging this girl's style._

"Oh, I'm sorry. Everyone, this is Leah. Leah, this is…everyone! We've all know each other since high school. That's Emmett and Rosalie, and this is Jasper, Rosalie's brother. This here is Alice and Edward, fraternal twins and Emmett's younger siblings. And this…this is Bella." Leah smiles warmly at me. She extends her hand out to greet me, and I shake her hand.

"It's great to finally meet you, Bella, I've heard nothing but wonderful things!" Her smile is very warm and her eyes are very honest. "And nice to meet all of you, too!"

I barely even notice that the men all get up after greeting Leah. "We're gonna play a round of pool upstairs, do you guy wanna come?" Alice rolls her eyes at the thought, while Rose jumps at the idea. "I'll skip this round, babe." He knows why. Alice and I stay behind to talk to Leah. I motion for Leah to sit down.

"So," Leah starts. "Alice, Jake tells me you love to shop? I do too!" Wow, that's it. She hit it right on. I have to laugh when Alice gasps and squeals.

"You had Alice at 'I love to shop'. Shopping is her main thrill in life, aside from her career, of course." I tell her.

"Oh, what do you do, Alice, if you don't mind me asking?" Of course Alice doesn't mind, she loves talking about herself.

"I'm actually a fashion designer. Granted, I'm no Coco Chanel or Christian Dior, but I'm getting out there, which I'm enjoying. The hours are brutal and my fingers are aching from all the sewing I've been doing, but it's great. I recently went to Paris where they modeled my new line."

"Wait…you're Alice Cullen. Holy hell, why did I not know who you were? I never put it together! Oh my god, I loved your new line—the floral patterns and pastel colors were absolutely breathtaking! I feel like I'm sitting with a celebrity!" She was gushing, as was Alice.

"I'm actually designing my first wedding gown right now. I call this girl the Bridezilla From Hell. She's a spoiled little whiner who's making daddy pay for everything. Today she told me that she wants feathers and sequins on the corset." Leah almost spits up her vodka cranberry. "Well, don't worry, Alice. If Jake and I get married, I promise that when you design my wedding gown, there will be none of that. It will be simple, timeless and elegant." Alice grins and takes a sip of her drink. Wow, the fact that she's already thinking that far ahead…good on her. "But anyways, it really is nice to meet you both."

"Yeah, same here. It's great to finally put a face to the name." I am making it my mission at this moment to get to know this girl. "So, where are you from?" I jump right into the questions. She doesn't seem to mind.

"I'm actually from a place called La Push. It's a small community about 4 hours from here," She says. "I basically lived there all my life."

"Yeah, I'm aware of the place, I've been there quite a few times. I actually moved to Forks when I was 15 from Phoenix. Jake and I spent the summer before 11th grade together and we went there a lot for bonfires and storytellings."

"Oh, wow! Every time I tell someone where I'm from they have no idea what I'm talking about. Jake told me that he used to live there but moved to Forks during high school. I can't believe we missed each other! You and Jake are really close then, huh?" _I was waiting for that._

"Yeah, we've been close since the day we met, basically. He's really great." I smile at the thought of how great he actually is.

"That he is. I don't know, I don't mean to get really girly on you, but I really like him. I hope this works out." She blushes, and Alice turns on the _aww_ button.

"What do you do?" I continue. I also wave down Paul and motion for more drinks. He nods and hurries away to get them.

"I'm a hairdresser." She says with a smile. "My mother used to have long black hair and she'd braid it a lot when I was a kid, and I just loved how it looked. I also used to do my younger sister Emily's hair…well, still do, I guess. I guess hair just became a big deal for me. I went to The Institute of Cosmetology here in Seattle and I've just been living here ever since."

Paul then comes up with 3 jagerbombs. Alice's face goes from happy to disgusted in a matter of milliseconds.

I hate the taste of black licorice but for some reason I can handle jagermeister.

"I feel like I have to warn you, ladies. When drunk, I love to do body shots." We all laugh and Alice cheers. "Girl, we're all gonna get alone just fine!" We clink our drinks together as Jake comes up to the table.

"Body shots? I like where I came into this conversation!" Leah laughs and we all down our drinks. She then gets up to go to the bathroom. Alice follows her.

"So…?" Jake sits and looks at me for approval.

"She's really great, Jake. I like her a lot." I say honestly. I don't think I've ever seen Jake this happy.

"Good. I mean, that really means a lot." He reaches forward and takes my hand and smiles. "Really, Bells. I'm glad you like her. I sure as hell do."

"Does she know about…you know…" I'm trying my hardest to not make things awkward here.

He nods his head. "Yeah, I told her how I've felt about you in the past. I felt like I had to tell her upfront before we decided where this was going. I don't know, I felt like it was the right thing to do." I smile at that. I'm so glad that he is the way he is.

"That's good. Good thing we got the introductions out of the way before you told me that or else it would have been super awkward." I laugh and take a sip of my beer that has magically appeared out of nowhere.

"Nah, that's one of the things I love about her. She's very understanding."

I nod. "Well, I know she really likes you."

"Oh? What else did she say?" He raises his eyebrows as he takes a swig of his beer.

"Sorry, Jakey. Girl code. I will say this, though. She really does like you. Don't let go of her."

He smiles and stands up as Leah and Alice approach the table. "Don't worry, Bells. I don't plan on it." He takes Leah's hand and walks her to the dance floor.

"So, did you tell him how you approve of her?" Alice asks, already knowing.

"Of course! What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?" She smiles. "I really like her."

"Me too, Alice, me too. Hey, are they still playing pool?" I scan the room for Edward but I can't find him.

"No, I don't think so. When I came out of the bathroom, I saw Edward talking to Rosalie at the bar."

**EPOV**

I cannot put into words how angry I am at Bella for looking so fucking sexy tonight. My god, navy blue is the colour for her. If she wore just that colour for the rest of her life, I'd be a happy man. It adds the perfect contrast to her creamy skin and she just looks so perfect. She's been basically torturing me all day. First with how she looked this morning, and then me coming home to find her fucking our shower head, which is getting disconnected and I'm now installing a fixed one. I'm no plumber but my god, I will learn. As usual, Emmett is being a sore loser at the moment and he decided to throw his pool cue onto the table and leave to have a cigarette. He only smokes when he's stressed. _I guess the game's over._

I look for Bella amongst the crowd of people and I find her talking to my sister and Leah. If I know my Bella like I think I do, she's probing Leah to see if she's a good enough match for Jake. Jake comes up and slaps me on the back.

"You and I both know that Bella's probing Leah, right?" I smirk at him and nod. _Fucking right she is._ "You and I also both know that Leah is doing the same thing, right?" I laugh out loud and nod. I hold my bottle up to him. "Here's to our wonderful girlfriends probing each other." We clink our bottles together and he adds "It won't be long for them to have slumber parties and pillow fights." We both laugh and he walks away to snatch up his girlfriend.

I decide to go to the bar and get another beer when I notice Rosalie already standing there, ordering a Sex on the Beach.

"That drink is for pussies, just so you know." I say in her ear, causing her to jump.

"Oh shut it, Cullen. You've been saying that to me since high school. There's nothing wrong with a lady enjoying a classy drink." She says proudly.

"Lady? I don't see any ladies around here…" She gasps and punches my arm, quite hard, actually. Working as a mechanic sure gives her great upper body strength.

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something." Her attention is fully on me now and she nods. "Sure, what's up?"

"You know the reason we're here, with my being able to take on this new building project by myself, right?"

"Yeah, of course, Eddie. And I'm so proud of you!"

"Well, I was thinking. I mean, Riley wanted to turn it into another club, but I told him that it would be better off as an eatery." I stop and she looks at me, a hint of hope in her eyes. "I have a few design ideas and I have some blueprints drawn out. It's going to be gorgeous when I'm done with it, down to the last piece of crown molding. Rosalie, I want to give it to you." She gasps and I can tell that she's at a loss for words. I continue.

"I've spoken to Emmett and he said that it would be perfect for you. He loves working with you at the shop but he knows where your heart truly lies. He really wants you to do it, Rose, so do I. And you can do whatever you want - you can open a restaurant, a diner, or a bakery…whatever." She absorbs my words and then pounces on me to give me a huge hug.

"Oh my god, Edward, thank you so much! I don't even know what to say! I can't…_oh my god!_"

"We'll take care of the leasing issues and whatnot but I'm basically building it for you. I know that this is what you've wanted to do and I'm going to make it happen for you. And I know that you're totally excited but I still need to hear an answer from you." I tease her.

"YES, EDWARD, YES! Of course! Thank you so much!" She hugs me again as she's buzzing with excitement.

She takes her drink and bounces over to Emmett to tell him the good news. She hugs him and he looks over to me, raises his beer and hugs her back. This will be good for her, and she'll do great, I just know it. Suddenly, Embry the DJ announces that he's accepting song requests. As more people get up to dance, my girl comes over to me and wraps her arms around my neck. She kisses on the cheek. "That's a great thing that you're doing for Rose, Edward. You're amazing, you know that?" I smile and kiss her on the lips and she takes my hand, leading me to the dance floor. I hesitate at first, but when she stumbles when I pull back, I can tell she's already tipsy. I hear the booming sounds of the Scorpions playing on the speakers and my girl pulls me once again, leading me to the dance floor. _The night's about to get a little more interesting._

**BPOV**

I lead Edward to the dance floor, and everyone's already there. I feel the shots and beers I've had catching up to me and I can't even hide the fact that I'm tipsy. Tipsy Bella usually wants to dance, and who would deny her of that? The opening riff is done and the seductive beat starts playing. I throw my arms around Edward's neck and sway with him, but he has other ideas. His hands move up and pull my arms down from around his neck and his hands move to my hips and he spins me around. I almost topple over due to the combination of the quick spin and my heels but he holds me steady as I gain my composure. He chuckles at my tipsy clumsiness but starts swaying to the music with me. This song is actually quite appropriate.

_The job is done and I go out  
Another boring day  
I leave it all behind me now  
So many worlds away_

I always feel shy when we start dancing together. I feel like I have no clue what I'm doing, but when he starts grinding into me I'm reminded of what's to come later (no pun intended) and then I get into it. He establishes a rhythm and I follow, wiggling my butt in front of him and moving my arms up to wrap around his neck. He moves his left hand down to my stomach and I feel the sudden rush of butterflies when he does.

_I meet my girl, she's dressed to kill  
And all we're gonna do  
Is walk around to catch the thrill  
On streets we call the zoo_

He puts emphasis in the movement of his hips during the first line of that verse and whispers the lyrics into my ear. I feel his hot breath on my ear and the hairs on my arm raise instantly. The intensity of the goosebumps make every particle in my whole body stand at attention.

_We eat the night, we drink the time  
Make our dreams come true  
And hungry eyes are passing by  
On streets we call the zoo_

We sway back and forth, our heads moving in sync with each other. We look like something out of Dirty Dancing, but I couldn't care less. I love that fucking movie anyway. I look to my left and see Alice and Jasper dancing face to face, her hands around his neck and their eyes boring into each other. Rose and Emmett are suddenly nowhere to be found. _Not surprising. _Jake and Leah are tearing it up on the dance floor like two porn stars starving for a release. Edward moves his hand down from my stomach to a dangerously low place. I look around, clearly paranoid, but everyone seems to be really into what they're doing to notice what Edward does next. He slips his hand under my dress and rubs his fingers along where I need him to, the only thing between us is the panties I'm wearing.

_Enjoy the zoo  
And walk down 42nd Street  
You want to be excited too..._

He rubs harder, causing me to moan, not that anyone would hear me. He rubs himself against my backside and puts more emphasis on the last lyric.

_...And you will feel the heat_

On the next beat, he slips his finger into me, as I cry out into the loud room. He thrusts in and out slowly, rubbing his palm against my clit. I close my eyes and enjoy the sensations he's making me feel. He and I both know that this won't last long. He more he thrusts with his finger, the harder I move against him, causing him to moan in my ear. _This is a race. _

_We eat the night, we drink the time  
Make our dreams come true  
And hungry eyes are passing by  
On streets we call the zoo_

_We eat the night, we drink the time  
Make our dreams come true  
And hungry eyes are passing by  
On streets we call the zoo_

By the end of the second chorus, I moan loud as I explode around his fingers. His fingers moves up to his mouth as he sucks my juices off of them. My knees almost buckle as he holds me up. He then leans down and whispers into my ear, "I thought you said that panties were optional. Wrong choice, baby." _Fuck._

I laugh out loud and try to stand up on my own and turn around to look at him. He's staring at me intensely and suddenly I'm feeling very naughty. _I guess I'm the only one that had a happy ending. _I reach down and cup his bulge, very tightly, as he hisses and closes his eyes. _Oh yeah, he's close. _With the amount of alcohol I've had, I feel no shame in pulling him by his shirt to the nearest bathroom. I walk in first to check that no one's in there, and to my excitement, there isn't. I pull him in and don't bother to lock the door.

"Aren't you going to lock the door?" He asks me, surprised. Sure, that's something that sober Bella would do.

"Nope, so I guess we'll have to hope that we won't get caught, won't we?" I say to him with a smirk.

"Fuck," he moans. "Bella—"

I silence him as I push him into the larger stall closest to the wall. He grips my ass and pulls me against him. "Ugh, I have to fuck you, Bella._ Now._"

But I have a better idea. "Later, baby, but for right now, just try to relax." He's confused for a split second as I drop to my knees. When he realizes what I'm doing, his eyes roll to the back of his head and his head hits the cold wall. "Fuck, Bella…" I undo his zipper and button when I realize that he's going commando. I look up at him in absolute surprise when in between pants, he smirks down at me and says "You said optional."

I moan out loud and lower my mouth to him. He lets out a loud "FUCK," as I swirl my tongue around the tip of him and his hips start moving all by themselves. Unfortunately, I'm cursed with a gag reflex, so whatever I can't fit into my mouth, I stroke with my hand. His hands instinctively go to the back of my head. I don't know why some girls find it offensive that men guide their head to the speed they want. It's not a degrading thing, it just means that you're doing it right and he doesn't want you to stop. Also, if I know anything about Edward, it's that when he's getting head, all he can muster up are dirty words. "Suck me, Bella…mmm, mmmore…" _That's what I want to hear._ I bob my head up and down and he opens his eyes and looks down to watch the show. I know it's only a matter of seconds before he'll cum, so I go faster, and reach down with my other hand to his balls - to that sweet spot underneath them.

"Oh. _SHIT_. Bella….aaahhh—" _Yup, that did it. _He explodes into my mouth and I drink up every drop. I feel him soften in my mouth and I take that as incentive to tuck him away gently into his pants. Knowing that he's going commando is going to play on my head all night. As his heavy panting slows down, he pulls me up for a kiss. "Fuck, baby…I fucking love you."

I laugh at him and we exit the bathroom, only to be met with Alice and Jasper.

"Told you!" Alice says to him. "You owe me 20 bucks." Jasper sighs in defeat and digs into his pocket and hands her the money as I feel my face going beat red.

Edward laughs and puts his hands up in defense. "I don't wanna know. Come on Bella, let's get another drink." He pulls me with him and we go to the bar.

* * *

The night is slowly becoming a blur. We're all slurring our words. Between the rounds of tequila shots and the body shots that Leah inevitably warned us about, we're all drunk as fuck. One minute I'm laughing and talking about football with Emmett, the next I'm dancing on a table with Rosalie and Leah while our boyfriends watch us in awe. Pretty sure Jake and Emmett just high-fived each other while enjoying the show. Edward is just glaring at me with his eyebrow raised and I know what that means - he and I aren't done.

The next minute, I blink and I'm playing pool with Jake and Jasper, as well as Alice, who for some reason just cannot grasp the concept of the game. It's basically turned into a game between Jasper and I, as Alice is pouting and stuffing her face with french fries and Jake has Leah pushed against the brick wall, having an intense conversation with her - with his tongue.

The game eventually dies with Alice not wanting to return to the game and Embry announces that Friday Night Karaoke has begun. We all make our way downstairs to the stage area as the men stay upstairs, watching from the balcony.

Rosalie decides to go first. Another thing sober Bella would never do - karaoke. She decides to sing These Boots Are Made For Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra very seductively, causing Emmett to cheer like a little fan girl from above, yelling "That's my sexy guuurl." A few faceless people go up afterwards.

Edward and Alice get up soon thereafter, after being pushed by Jasper, and they sing Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground. Emmett's drunken ideas get him into trouble as he's forced to sing Moves Like Jagger. He tilts his cap backwards and gets right into it on stage, and by the end of it, defensively claims "What? It's _actually_ a damn catchy song!"

Leah, too nervous to go by herself, somehow manages to convince me to go up, and we sing a playful version of No Doubt's _Underneath It All,_ causing whistles and call calls from both Jake and Edward.

More faceless people go up, and after a girl with a crown (clearly her 21st birthday) fell down the stairs, none of us wanted to go up and follow that.

After a few horrible singers, Paul calls last call for drinks, and we get one last drink. To tell you the truth, I don't know what it is, I just pounded it back without thinking. Jasper then gets up to sing the last song of the night. We all love when Jasper sings, he is a musician after all. He really does have a fantastic voice. He and Rosalie are really gifted singers - I guess it runs in the Hale family. Jasper's song of choice is I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons, and he just fucking kills it. I glance over to Alice and I can see nothing but pure adoration on her face. The song causes the night to end on a serious but happy note, and we all collect our things and get ready to leave; us girls exchange numbers with Leah, promising to all see each other soon. This is about the time where that last shot I took is kicking in and I'm losing my sense of…well, _everything. _We all separate, and Edward and I make our way to Edward's car.

"Eddie, baby, we shhhuuddnt have driven here, we're too drive to drunk…I-I mean…" He laughs loudly, clearly wasted as well.

"Yeaaaah, you're right. Ok baby girl, let's take a cab home then. Uh…wait…can you see the keypad? Cuz I can't read it, how the FUCK am I supposed to call a cab?"

We see a row of cabs at the end of the plaza and start walking there, stopping by the soon-to-be construction site that waits there. He smiles widely and points. "See that? I'm going to build that. I'm going to build it so good that Riley's going to be really proud of me and he'll make me a partner and we'll be rich. We're gonna be so rich, Bella…and I'm gonna marry you!"

"You are?" I ask, wide-eyed.

"Of course, baby. I'm going to be with you forever, and we're gonna get maaarried and have beautiful babies together and I will love you every day until I die. And then we're gonna be buried in our meadow in Forks together!" He announces to the sky, and those words cause me to break into tears, bringing me back to thoughts of his funeral, where he was buried in the meadow.

"Oh no, baby, please…don't cry. I'm sorry—" I cut him off and throw my arms around his neck, sloppily. "I love you, Edward." He hugs me back tightly, both of us stumbling back and forth. I silently thank Laurent and Edward hears me.

"Laurent? Who's Laurent?" He asks, confused.

"He's the reason we're together!" I say, happily. Even though I'm drunk, my logic slaps me in the face for that one.

"Oh…okay then, to Laurent!" He pretends to cheers with me, and he spots a cab and takes off running towards it. _He'll never know what that actually means._

While in the cab, he starts nuzzling into my neck and licking his way to my lips as the cab driver drives us home. He moves his hand to my thighs and pushes his hand between them, whispering "I need you again, baby. I need to feel you…" and as much as I would love to comply with his request, I feel like the cab driver would have a problem with that. I shake my head and motion to the cab driver, trying hard to mind his own business. He's whispering dirty things into my ear and it's taking everything in me to not climb on top of him and ride him all the way home. Edward notices the driver looking at us through his rear view mirror and decides to speak up.

"Excuse me, Mr. Cab Driver, but would you mind entirely if I finger fucked my girlfriend in your car?" My eyes almost pop out of my head and my face goes fire engine red in embarrassment.

"Edward—" I start, but he cuts me off.

"No, Bella. He needs to keep his eyes on the road."

I mouth an _I'm sorry_ to him through his mirror as he pulls up to our condo. Edward throws a 20 at him and tells him to keep the change, while I thank him for the ride.

The next thing I know, I'm thrown up against the wall of our apartment and our clothes are flying in all directions. All I can think about is the fact that I need him, and I know it's the alcohol taking over my body completely. We end up on the bed, and it's not long before we're both screaming out each other's names. I know of only one thing: I'm going to feel like complete shit tomorrow morning, and that is definitely alright with me.

.

.

.

.

.

**_I may or may not need a cold shower after those lemons._**** Also, I feel like this has to be said: Tanya is not going to be an antagonist in this story. In most fics that I read, Tanya is a blonde bimbo or a loose and crazy bitch who's got it bad for Edward, etc. Not here, she's a good person in this story, yay!**

**And I know that this chapter is sort of long but I did that because I originally planned to update this fic once a week, but unfortunately I'm getting really busy with work and whatnot, so I haven't been able to update as often as I'd like. So, to make up for it, I made this chapter extra long and added multiple lemons (I hope I'm at least good at writing lemons, haha). **

**Also, I created a polyvore account so that you can visualize what the characters look like during some chapters. I posted the links on my profile if you want to take a look - they're clearly labeled for you.**

**As always, thanks for reading, see you next time, and reviews secretly make me happy.**

(**p.s., The song I used while they're dancing is called The Zoo by Scorpions. Great song!)**

**xo**


	8. How Deep Is Your Love

**-CHAPTER 8-**

**BPOV**

_Oh fuck, I feel fuzzy._ I open my eyes only to close them again. _And it's too fucking bright for my liking_. _Why do I feel so_…_oh. _I sit up and adjust to the light as I replay the events of last night—or, at least what I remember of it. _Okay, let's see…I remember meeting Leah and then…dancing with Edward, and then…oh. _Suddenly I remember letting Naughty Bella come out to play. I feel my cheeks start to burn when I recall the events that took place. I look down beside me at a sleeping Edward, lying on his stomach with his arms under his pillow. He's covered from the waist down but the sheets are bunched a certain way, giving me the perfect view of his dimpled lower back. _Ugh why is he so perfect? _

I move to get up, realizing that I'm completely naked. _Why do I always find myself in this predicament?_ I grab Edward's shirt from last night off the floor and head to the kitchen for some aspirin. Thankfully, I don't get headaches when I'm hungover. I only get the body buzz but I get dehydrated like crazy. Gatorade is definitely what's needed. I nearly drink the whole thing, not even realizing how dehydrated I actually am. I grab one for Edward, as well as some aspirin, and head back to the bedroom. When I walk in, he's in the same position, except his eyes are open. He sees me and a smile appears on his face.

"Hey baby," He smiles as I stand against the doorframe, looking at him.

"Good morning, handsome," I say. "How are _you_ feeling this morning?" He groans and buries his head under his pillow.

"Well, lucky for you I brought you something that'll help." I hold up the pills and Gatorade.

I hear him mutter a "thank god" from under his pillow and he rolls over and sits up against the headboard. I walk over and sit beside him on the edge of the bed. I barely get to sit down before he reaches for the aspirin. He takes them quickly, and just as I did, he drinks about half the bottle to his face.

"Should we discuss the state of our apartment right now?" I chuckle and he looks to the corner where my dress from last night is hanging off the lamp. His jeans were on the coffee table in the living room when I went out to the kitchen, and everything else was scattered all over our living room floor.

"How much did we even drink last night?" He asks and I laugh.

"Um, we had a few beers and then Leah had us doing tequila shots at one point. I remember doing a few jagerbombs…but I don't really remember what else I drank."

Edward chuckles with an evil grin.

"What?" I ask.

"Well…" He reaches to me and pulls me onto his lap, straddling him. "I do remember you drinking _me_ at one point."

My face immediately drops and goes red as I bury my face in his shoulder. "Edward…"

"No, Bella. You don't know how hot that was. I mean, I was drunk, but that's one thing I damn well remember." He grins, rubbing his hands on my thighs.

"I don't even know what got into me." I said, remembering everything and blushing all over again.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Bella. I fucking loved it. It was incredible."

"Well…I'm glad, I guess?" I can't imagine how red my face is at this moment.

"Don't guess, baby, Eddie likes Naughty Bella." He wiggles his eyebrows at me which causes me to giggle at him. _Ugh, he's so cute._

"In fact," He continues. "I think I owe you." There goes that grin again. Wait, what did he say?

I barely have time to sort my thoughts before he pushes me backwards on the bed, making him hover over me with that goddamn smirk that I love and hate at the same time. The only reason that I say I hate it is because that smirk makes me melt and shiver with anticipation, because I know exactly what's on his mind.

"You…o-owe…me?" I stutter and he nods.

"Yep. You cornered me in the bathroom last night, _am I right_?"

I nod nervously and bite my lip unintentionally. He moves his lips down to my chin and kisses along my jawline, then down to my neck. With his left hand rubbing my thigh, he moves it around to my ass and gives it a firm squeeze, causing a squeal and a jump from me.

"Mmm, I love you so much, Bella." Edward says to me. His hand is removed from my ass and is moved up to my face, cupping my cheek. He then strokes my cheek and gazes into my eyes, showing me nothing but love and adoration. His other hand moves down slowly and touches my center. He rubs slow circles into me and I hiss at the feeling.

"I love you, baby girl. You complete me, you know that?" I nod, and he continues his ministrations.

"I know…I-I love you too Edward," I breathe.

"I love what's in _here_," He gently rests his other hand on my chest, above my heart. "…and I love what's in _here_." He moves his hand up and caresses the side of my head. "You're so beautiful, especially when I get you like this." His hand picks up it's pace down in my happy place, causing me to moan out loud.

"So beautiful." He whispers, going faster. My heart's now pounding from the emotions I'm feeling as well as the sensations he's creating. He inserts a finger into me and I cry out. My body feels like it's suddenly burst into flames, and I know that I'm close already.

"Ahh, _Edward_," I moan, and he covers my mouth with a kiss.

"Let go, baby. Cum for me, Bella." And I do. I squeeze my eyes shut as I ride out my powerful orgasm that starts in my toes and works it's way all over my body like electricity humming through me.

I finally come down and open my eyes to Edward looking at me with so much love in his eyes. "I love you so much," He says as he looks into my eyes as if he's trying to read my thoughts.

"…and above all things, I love it when you take advantage of me in public bathrooms." His lovesick stare turns to a goofy grin, causing me to laugh out loud.

"Well, you're an easy target, my love," I finally find my voice and he nods.

"Yeah," He says. "You have a point there."

"Maybe I should return the favour?" I ask ever-so-innocently.

"I...wouldn't object for you to do so," He shrugs, lying on his back and putting his arms behind his head. "I mean really, you own him. Might as well use him."

The look on my face must be priceless right about now. _I can't believe he actually just said that._

I move to hover over him when his phone rings.

I groan. "Let it ring, Edward."

He moves to see who it is. "It's Riley."

**EPOV**

"Hello?" I answer. _I hope everything's okay._

"Hey there, Ed. How's it goin'?" He seems happy.

"Pretty good, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's just fine, Edward. I was just calling to ask if you had any plans for this afternoon?" _That's odd._

"Um, nope, none that I can think of, why do you ask?"

"I was just thinkin' and wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me. Only if you want to, though. I wouldn't want you to think you have to. Just lunch and a chat is all."

"Well…" I look at Bella, who seems to be in her own little world. "I don't see why not, but I'll just run it by Bella first—"

"Oh, please, Edward, feel free to bring Bella too, she's more than welcome of course!" He jumps at the opportunity to meet my Bella every chance he gets.

"Sure, just hang on a sec," I cover the phone and turn to Bella. "How do you feel about going to Riley's house for lunch today?"

Her face softens into a smile. "I'd love to!" She exclaims.

"Hey, Riley? Yeah, count us in!"

"Excellent! How about you come for about 12:30 and we'll sit out on the patio. And please tell Bella that it won't be all work, I promise. I know there's nothing that a woman hates more than to be surrounded by men talking about work." I laugh. Bella wouldn't mind even if we were talking about midget clown porn (yes, it's a thing - don't ask me how I know that).

"Okay, we'll be there! Do you want us to bring anything?"

"No, that's fine, I've got everything here. I'll see you kids soon then!" He sounds way too happy for someone who just invited his employee and his girlfriend to lunch.

"Alright, Riley, see you soon." And I hang up.

"So, he wants to have us for lunch? That's nice of him," Bella says with a smile.

"Don't worry, baby, he wants to meet you just as much as you want to meet him. Although with all this hype, I'm starting to worry that you two will just end up running away together into the sunset." I joke, Bella laughs and walks up to me.

"Babe, you have nothing to worry about, I promise." She reaches up on her tippy toes and gives me a kiss, then takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom.

"Yeah…we should probably start getting ready," I say.

She says nothing and shows no emotion as she starts the shower and goes to the linen closet to grab towels. All of a sudden she looks pissed and I have no idea why.

"Bella?"

She opens the shower door and proceeds to push me, quite hard, into the shower, causing me to hit the wall.

"Bella, what are you—"

"Finishing what we started before we were rudely interrupted." I seem to be drawing a blank, and she can tell.

"...Well, I promised you a blow job, didn't I?"

_Gulp._

**BPOV**

Well, that was a well deserved shower. Drying myself off with a towel, I begin to stare into space for what feels like 60 years until I realize that I'm unintentionally staring right into Edward's crotch. _Oh god. Stop it, Bella. Ugh, but I like looking at it. Oh god I think he noticed. _I mean, Edward and I have been having a lot of sex lately. It's mostly my fault, too. Okay, I don't think _fault _is the right word…but it's definitely because of me lately. Not that Edward minds, obviously. After not having him for so long…I can't help myself. And he doesn't help matters much either, he's too delectable. He's going to kill me one day. I can imagine headlining the newspaper: _Seattle Woman - Death By Multiple Orgasms._

"Bella?" He's grinning at me again. He covers himself with a towel and he can see the sadness on my face. "Wow, someone's insatiable," he says. I roll my eyes

"If anyone's insatiable, it's you, Edward.

"Oh? Care to bet on it?" _Smug bastard. _

I think about it for a second. "Sure, why not?"

"Alright then, whoever caves first, loses. Starting…well, now. And don't think I'm going to make it easy for you, Bella." He says with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye.

"But," I start and walk closer to him. My index finger comes into contact with his chest and I start running my finger down his torso. "…what if I win? What do I get?" Batting my eyelashes at him is probably playing it too far, but it usually works on him. He grabs my finger and places a very hot kiss on the side of my neck. _Asshole._

"Then you get the privilege of me fucking you senseless, Ms. Swan, and vise versa," He says with a devilish grin. And I'm pretty sure he just heard my slight whimper.

"W-well," I start, as I move my hand down to tightly cup the bulge poking out of his towel and he hisses and throws his head back. "I hope you know that I'm gonna make things really…" And I squeeze him gently, "…_hard _for you, baby."

And then, in typical Bella fashion, I walk away and leave him to get ready.

* * *

"Oh…my…god." I breathe as we pull up to Riley's house. I have to say, it's absolutely breathtaking; the way it's built is just incredible, especially now since it's Autumn, the colours of the trees only add to the beauty. The house almost looks Victorian-like, but it also has a modern look to it. The driveway is long with a courtyard entrance. The trees and bushes are all perfectly trimmed and the light brickwork on the house is all delicately detailed. It definitely looks like the kind of house that an architect would live in. It's absolutely gorgeous!

"Edward! So glad you could make it!" A female voice greets us as we get out of the car.

"Hello, Charlotte!" Edward smiles. "Good to see you again! Charlotte, this is my Bella."

I smile and extend my hand. "Hello, Charlotte! It's very nice to meet you."

"Same here, Edward's told me nothing but great things. You're even more beautiful than he described!" I blush at the compliment while Edward proudly wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me to him.

"Let's go on inside, Riley's just out back enjoying the sunshine." Charlotte walks us through the front door and my jaw almost hits the floor.

"Wow, this place is incredible!" I stare in awe and Edward smiles. He knows that this is exactly my taste. Everything about this house is perfect, from the crown molding on the ceiling to the wooden side panels on the bottom half of the walls. I can tell that a lot of work was put into this place.

"Wait until you see the kitchen," Edward tells me and I get a little too excited. I don't know what it is, but the thing I love the most about houses is the kitchen. If the house has a beautiful kitchen, that's all it would take for me to buy it. We're taken upstairs to see the master bedroom and bathroom, and I instantly fall in love with the master bathroom. This house is like a dream, I can't believe it. The bathroom is complete with not only a stand up shower with glass doors, but with a bathtub next to it, more centered to line up symmetrically to the dual windows. The stand up shower has a small seating area in the corner, made of brick tile, as is the wall behind it. The counter is off to the far right, made up of dark wood drawers and the sink is made of marble. I'm almost in tears over a damn bathroom, I can't believe it. The master bedroom is huge, almost the entire width of the house.

We're directed downstairs and right when we enter the kitchen, I lose my shit. The hardwood floors are dark and the cabinets are light, but not light enough where it would clash with the colours in the floor. The beautiful tile work and decal on the walls are also light, and there's an island in the middle of it all that's dark wood with a marble slab on the top; literally, my dream kitchen. I catch Edward looking at me with a smile on his face.

"Don't worry, love, someday I'll build you something like this." He kisses my forehead and I sigh.

"You better," I say, lightly gnawing on my lip. "Or else I'm gonna move in with Riley, because this house is absolutely perfect!"

"Well, my dear, there's plenty of room for you to move in," A voice, whom I can only assume is Riley, says as he comes in from outside.

"There he is!" Edward exclaims.

"Yes, here I am! _I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together!_" Riley says with his arms out.

I giggle like a little girl at his quote. "Eddie, I like him already. He quotes The Beatles!"

Edward grins and Riley comes forward and takes my hands into his own. "Bella, you have no idea how much of a privilege it is to finally meet you. Edward has talked so highly of you since the day I met him and I'm so incredibly pleased to meet you, sweetheart!" I blush, naturally. "Ah! And there's that blush Edward loves so much!" _He's such a charmer, my god…make it stop!_

"Well, thank you, sir, it's an honour to meet you. I'm glad I'm finally able to."

"Oh, please, Bella, call me Riley! "Sir? What am I, old or something?" He smiles warmly at me. "Have you been around the house? What do you think?"

"It's absolutely gorgeous! What you have here is basically my dream house, down to every last tile! I told Edward that he better build something like this for me one day or I'll be leaving his sorry ass!" Riley laughs and nods.

"Like I said, love, feel free to move in here!" He kisses my cheek and leads us outside to sit on the patio. Damn it, even the back yard is perfect! A multi-level deck with a hot tub. Is it wrong that I just had the image of having sex with Edward in that hot tub? _Jackpot._

"So, how long have you lived here, Riley?" I ask, suddenly interested in his entire life story.

"Well, I've lived in Seattle for basically my whole life, but here in this house? About…2 years now? I think."

"Wow, really? I'd assume that you've been here for years, you've built yourself a real home here."

"Yeah, a lot of people say that, actually. But nope, I started the designs on this house just after I met Eddie. I wanted something that felt like home, you know? Something I could pass on. The more I got to know Edward, the more ideas I had for this house. I didn't build the house, per se, just…sections of it, I suppose. Like in the living room there, it was half the size it is now. And the kitchen? For a house this size, the kitchen was tiny. I gutted the bathrooms as well and tore down walls. The house was originally a lot smaller, but with all the extensions and everything, I turned it into this. So, the more I got to know Edward, the more ideas I had for this house. Edward has a very astute mind. He was born to be an architect, you know."

I nod with a smile. "He's a natural, and I can't wait to see what he does with this new restaurant of his!" Edward smiles at me and kisses the side of my head.

Riley grins as he takes a sip of his water. "Ah, yes! He's trying hard to hide it but I know that this boy is damn excited to start!"

"I just hope that he won't forget about me while he's working away," I say, half serious.

"Aww come on baby, I could never forget about you," Edward says.

"Now now, I told Edward and I'm telling you now. I told him that it's important to work but the more important thing is having a good woman by your side. I don't want him making the same mistakes I did as a youngster. I had the whole world at my feet and I didn't realize that I had dollar signs in my eyes instead of focusing on the woman by _my_ side." I look into Riley's eyes and I finally see what Edward's been talking about. This man is the kindest man I've ever met, yet you can see the years of pain and regret in his eyes. I give him a sympathetic look and he winks at me and waves it off.

"Tell me about her?" I ask, immediately wondering whether or not he'd take offense to my prying.

He looks at me for a moment, searching my face. He then forms a smile. "She was exactly like you."

I smile at him because he's too sweet.

"She was as beautiful as you. She was kind, caring, and more importantly, she loved me. She had beautiful brown hair, just like yours, but she always said that she wished she was blonde. I always told her to just go blonde, but she refused because she believed in not using hair dye. She had a thing for blonde hair, I guess you could say. I guess that's why she went for me. She was…the one and only love of my life. Nothing and no one ever compared to her. I decided that I'd rather be alone than with someone else. For years, Bella, I tortured myself over what I had done to push her away. But one day I realized that I shouldn't punish myself for something I did in my younger years. That's what causes the pain and the nights of binge drinking. I decided to just enjoy the memory of her that I have, and fall in love with her all over again every day that way. She will always be the only melody in my head."

I blink away the tears and smile sadly at him. "I think you're an incredible man, Riley. And she was a lucky woman."

He smiles at me and nods. "Well, Bella, I think you're an incredible woman. And I can see why Edward is so in love with you. His other girlfriends just don't compare to you!"

I let out a snicker and Edward shakes his head. "Riley, I thought we agreed that you wouldn't tell!"

"Well, son, she's your favourite, so I mean, she can't be all that upset!"

We all exchange laughs before our lunch arrives. Well, brunch, actually.

"I hope you guys don't mind, I was really hankering for breakfast food when I got up this morning…"

"No, no, no, this is actually kind of perfect. We're both feeling a little bit…under the weather this morning." _I don't wanna say that we're hungover, but…_

"Oh, I see. Had a little too much to drink last night, eh?" Riley winks at us and Edward and just nods smugly. He glances over at me and I know what part of last night is running through his head. The head on his shoulders, that is.

Charlotte arrives with a cart full of food. The spread is just incredible and the aroma surrounding the table is mouth-watering. The platter of food could probably feed 2 or 3 more people, there's so much! Eggs made two ways, fried and scrambled, and the bacon was prepared in long strips along with a side of canadian bacon. _Oh my god, canadian bacon. _As if that was enough, homemade fries and a stack of toast were on the next platter, along with fresh blueberry waffles just off the waffle maker. I am literally eye-fucking this presentation of food in front of me.

"Riley, you've figured out the key to my Bella's heart. Food." Edward chuckles and we all dig right in.

"It's not me, Edward. This is all Charlotte. She's a phenomenal cook. She's been taking care of me since…" He stops and clears his throat, and Charlotte cuts him off abruptly "—since he can't cook for crap! Seriously, he can barely prepare a bowl of cereal without setting off the fire alarm!" We chuckle at Charlotte's good humour. _Why do I get the feeling that was a save?_

The light conversation that took part during our meal was nice. Edward was right when he told me all about him. There was really nothing about this man that you could hate.

An hour goes by and conversation got progressively funnier.

"…I'm telling you, Bella. There's nothing funnier than watching Edward's face getting more and more frustrated," Riley says. _Oh, I may know a thing or two about that. _Edward steals a glance at me and knows exactly what I just thought. Sorry honey, I am _not _caving in to this bet.

"I was totally messing with him half the time. I saw the drive, the determination to move up. I just wanted to see if there was any fight in him. I wanted to see how bad he wanted to move up. And every time I'd ask him to get me coffee again or photocopy something at my office, or —oh, pick up my dry cleaning, that was the funniest— I'd see that same look of frustration for a second, and then he'd swallow it into a smile and tell me that it's no problem." Edward rolls his eyes at Riley's picking on him.

"Come on, Riley, are you trying to turn my girl against me?" Edward laughs, defeated.

"No need, son. The girl hadn't even been introduced to me yet and she already wanted to move in with me!" He wiggles his eyebrows and I can't help but laugh.

"Well, Riley, you certainly have a beautiful house here. It's like a dream!"

"Thank you, Bella, that really means a lot. That's good to hear, I really did put a lot into it. It's a bit too big for just me, so I find that I only use certain rooms of the house, and Charlotte, the good woman that she is, doesn't use much of the house either, just cleans it and whatnot."

"How did you meet Charlotte? I mean, if you don't mind my asking," I say, but I feel bad. I feel like I'm asking too many questions.

"No, not at all. She's actually a friend of my niece's. I've known her almost all her life, so she's pretty much family. She married quite young, and then a few years ago, they got a divorce. Her ex-husband took everything from her and they didn't have kids, so I told her that she could live here and then she offered to help me out, considering this house is too big for just me. She's been here ever since and she's just great. I never had children myself, so I just consider her my daughter. I always tell her to go out and have fun, but she insists on making sure that my meals are prepared and my laundry is taken care of."

"That's really great, Riley. It's good to hear that you have someone taking care of you," I offer with a smile. He retorts by smiling and takes a sip of his water. He gets up and starts gathering dishes. "I don't know about you, but I feel like it's starting to get a bit chilly. Or maybe I'm just old. Shall we move this inside? Would you guys like some coffee?" We both nod, and I move by Riley's side.

"Go on inside, Riley. Edward and I will help clean." He smiles and kisses me lightly on the cheek. "Thank you, dear. You are lovely." I blush at his compliment and he goes inside.

"He's really great, Edward."

He nods and gathers a few plates. "I know. I'm really lucky to have a boss like him. I think he really fancies you, though." He chuckles.

"Well, there's only one man for me, and you know that." He grins at me and whispers, "I know, and if you give me the chance, I'll have you screaming that you're mine later."

I smile sweetly at him and shake my head, although his offer is tempting. "Sorry, baby. I'm not going down that easy." I walk away with a wink. _Nice try, asshole._

In the kitchen, Charlotte is making the coffee and talking to Edward about his upcoming project, when I notice a framed photo of a much younger and handsome Riley on the mantle in the living room. He must have been in his late 20's in this picture. I pick up the frame and I notice just how attractive he was in his younger years. He was blonde, whereas now, his hair is white with some grey.

"Ah, yes, that's a picture of me in my younger years. I don't wanna toot my own horn, but a lot of ladies took a liking to me in my day. Only one stole my heart, though. She took that picture, too; she was great with a camera." He nods his head to another frame, where there's another photo of him. He's posing with, whom I can only assume is Layla. Whoever took this picture caught them mid-laugh. Even just this photograph shows how in love they were. She really was beautiful, in a timeless sort of way. I feel so bad for him, he deserves to have his happy ending. He's the kindest, gentlest man that I've ever known. I really wish that there was something I could do. He'll never be completely happy until he sees her again.

"Have you ever tried finding her?" I find myself asking, and he shakes his head.

"I figure that if it's meant to be, then we'll find each other. On the other hand, I know how much I screwed up..."

"But you deserve to be happy," I say.

"I know, Bella. Everyone does. I just think that too much time has gone by. And maybe I'm a bit too much of a coward, but I feel like I should just let it lie and let her be happy. For now I can just live vicariously through you and Edward's love life and wish nothing but the best from you both!"

I'm about to say something, when my phone rings. It's Alice.

"I'm sorry, Riley, excuse me for a minute, it's Edward's sister." He nods and smiles. "No problem, go ahead."

I answer my phone and walk outside. "Hey Alice, what's up?"

"Hey Bella, are you busy right now?" She asks, sounding a little off.

"Um, I'm at Edward's boss' house, but I think we're going to leave soon, why?"

"Rosalie called me a few minutes ago, in tears. She wasn't making a lot of sense, but anyways, she said that she's coming over in a little bit, so I was wondering if you could come too? If you can't, then that's okay, but I figured she could use support from both of us for whatever's going on, you know?" She says.

"Yeah, no, absolutely, I'll come over. Like I said, I think we're leaving soon, anyways. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"I don't know, but you know how Rose gets. Sometimes she gets frantic over nothing." I nod, even though she can't see me.

"Okay, we'll just finish up here and I'll get Edward to drop me off at your place, alright?"

"Alright, thanks Bella. See you soon." And the line goes dead.

"Bella?" Edward calls me and I turn around to face him.

"That was Alice on the phone. She says that Rose called her in tears and that something's up. Have you talked to Emmett?"

He shakes his head. "Should I call him and ask?"

"No, probably not. But Rose is gonna be going over to Alice's soon and Alice wanted to know if I could go too," I say, feeling guilty about leaving Riley's.

"Okay, well why don't we stay for coffee and then get going? I'll drop you there and then Alice can drive you home." I nod, as we head inside.

We say our goodbyes to Riley and he told us that he wants us to feel free to come by more, and even more, that it was great to finally meet me. I say the same to him and we hit the road to go to Alice's. I really hope Rose is okay. I suddenly get a nauseous feeling at the thought of Rosalie and Emmett breaking up. _I'm sure that's not what it is. _We get there and Edward gives me a kiss.

"Let me know how it goes, alright?" I nod and get out, and he drives off. I watch him drive off and feel lame that I miss him already. _I'm so fucking lame. But I'm also so fucking in love._

I go up to Alice's apartment and she opens the door. "Hey Bells, Rose isn't here yet. Are you hungry?" She asks, and I shake my head. "I already ate, thanks though." Plus, Alice has never been that much of a cook. Alice makes a pot of hazelnut coffee and we move to the couch as I start to tell her all about Riley's house and all about his saddening past with Layla. And, of course, the fact that he's just the sweetest man ever.

"Wow," Alice says, "That's really heartbreaking. So he's never made an effort to find her?"

"Edward mentioned once that he said he found her on Facebook, when it started. Or, she found him and added him. They talked for a little bit and then she ended up deleting her account, and he didn't hear from her again. That must have been…what, 6 or 7 years ago?"

Alice shakes her head as she holds her cup of coffee in her hands. "That's such a shame."

"I know, and you can't help but wonder where the woman is, you know? I mean, she leads a nomadic lifestyle. She has no kids, no husband, no parents, even. If I were a single orphan, I'd probably do the same thing. She may have even gotten married and doesn't even have the same last name anymore, who knows!" I say, and as I do, Alice's front door opens and in walks Rosalie, who's obviously been crying. Damn those Hale children. She looks flawless, even with puffy red eyes and in sweatpants.

"Rose!" We both jump up.

"Rosie," Alice starts, "Can you please tell us what the hell is going on?!"

"Did you and Emmett break up?" I immediately ask, afraid that our two friends have broken up.

"No," She says as she shrugs off her jacket and sits on the couch. I let out a sigh of relief and Alice gets up and pours her a coffee and comes back to give it to her. I reach for the tissue box and hand it to Rose.

She starts crying again and we both move in a flash to sit beside her on both sides. Alice starts rubbing soothing circles into her back. "Tell us, honey, what is it? We're here for you."

She wipes her tears and blows her nose and stares at the ground for a minute. She then takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

"I'm pregnant."

.

.

.

.

.

**Uh-oh, someone's got a bun in the oven! Or does she really? What's gonna happen next? I guess you'll have to wait and see!**

**Okay, again, I feel like a total shit because I really do want to update more frequently, but then shit gets in the way! This time I blame stupid and wonderful Canadian Thanksgiving. And then, of course, Halloween. I really do have this story on my mind most of the time, but sometimes I just can't get a minute to sit and actually type. I really hope that you guys are enjoying the story though, feel free to let me know how I'm doing! I also have the basic plot and a page of ideas written down for another story after this one too, not that this one is near being over yet.**

**Also, I've provided links in my profile from Polyvore for the outfits for this chapter, as well as links to what the house looks like in my mind.**

**See you next time, please review!**

**xo**


	9. All I've Ever Needed

**-CHAPTER 9-**

_Pregnant?_ I gasp out loud and I don't even bother to mask the shocked expression on my face. I look over to Alice who's completely calm as she shrugs. "It makes sense," she says.

Rosalie starts crying again and I can't help but be happy for her, but it's too soon to smother her with hugs.

"Well…" I start, "How do you feel?" I tend to be the voice of logic and reason out of us three.

"I-I feel…" She stutters. "I don't even know what I'm feeling, to be honest."

"Well, okay. What happened before you came here?" Alice asks. I can tell she's just about ready to explode with excitement, but she's masking it pretty well.

"It started this afternoon when I got a call from my doctor. I've been having weird cramps lately and my period was late, so I made an appointment a few days ago. I've had late periods before but I've never had the awkward cramping. It's like…period cramps, but a bit more severe. Anyway, I decided that it was best to check it out and I didn't tell Emmett, I just went. I had a full physical done just to be safe. My doctor was a bit worried because the kind of pain I was describing sounded like it may have been the early stages of crohns disease or appendicitis— turns out I was being a little too theatrical. I got a call this afternoon regarding my test results and she told me that the cramping was only because I'm in my first trimester of pregnancy. Apparently the cramps are only happening because the embryo is 'imbedding itself into the lining of the uterus'…or something." She adds air quotations for effect.

"How far along are you?" I ask.

"Almost 5 weeks, she said."

"Okay," I say, "So…did you tell Emmett?"

"That's the whole reason I've been a blubbering mess. He came home about 15 minutes after I got off the phone. He came in, said hey and nonchalantly said 'what's up babe', and I lost my shit. I don't even know what came over me. I started sobbing and told him to leave me alone. He didn't understand what was going on, and he said 'what the hell, Rose, are you on your rag or something?', and I know he only meant it as a harmless joke, but it only made me feel worse. I mean, I'm not angry at him and I don't know why I blew up at him, but I just did. He just stood there with his eyes almost bugging out of his head. I mumbled something like 'I need to get out of here and think for a while' and I left him standing there. He probably thinks I cheated on him or I'm dumping him or something!

"The only reason I went nuts is because I'm just so scared and…" She sniffles and blows her nose. "I don't know what I'm doing and I'm confused and lost and my emotions are being taken over and I don't know how Emmett will take the news and I don't know if we're ready for this. I just…" That last part comes out as a long run-on sentence.

Alice then speaks. "So, what are you…I mean, have you decided what you're going to…_do_? Or are you waiting to talk to Emmett?"

"Well, I don't think that I'd be able to go through with having an abortion. Adoption? Forget about it - I could never live with that."

"So basically," I say to Rose, "You're afraid of what Emmett will say." Rose nods. "But where is your head at, emotionally? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Like, you and Emmett have been together since high school and if he's the one, then what's wrong with starting your life together a little early? I highly doubt that Emmett will be anything short of excited. Sure, he's gonna be scared as shit like most first time parents are, but he's going to be happy, and you can guarantee that he's not going to take off. It's Emmett, for god sakes!"

Rose nods and lifts her finger to wipe away a tear dropping from her eye. "I think that this is definitely…a _good_ thing."

"Oh, _thank god_." Alice finally explodes with a huge sigh of relief as we both wrap our arms around her, and I let out a bit of a squeal. "Then this happy and congratulatory group hug isn't going to be awkward because I think that this is great and I'm so fucking happy for you! You're carrying my niece or nephew!" Rose lets out a huge laugh as Alice doesn't release her hold on her.

"Yeah…I'm definitely keeping this baby. I just figured I'd be a lot older and I'd be married and we'd plan for a baby, you know? I mean who has kids before they get married?" Alice and I look at each other and then look to Rose. "Uh, everyone?" We say at the same time and we all laugh.

"That's it," Alice says as she stands up. "We are officially having a girls night tonight. We're going to pig out on junk food and watch chick flicks— no, Bella, don't roll your eyes at me— but more importantly, we're going to be here for Rosalie. Now, who's with me?!" Rosalie raises her hand excitedly with a grin and I silently groan but raise my hand as well. Not that I don't want to spent time with my best friends, but I was really hoping to spend my Saturday night with Edward.

"Okay, Bella, you live with Edward. I'm pretty sure you can be away from him for one night." Alice scolds me with her hands on her hips. I raise both of my hands defensively.

"Hey, did I say anything? I'm in, aren't I?"

"It's all over your face, Bella. You can fuck my brother some other night." I'm not gonna lie, I find it extremely awkward that Alice can talk about her twin brother having sex like it's nothing. If Edward were my brother, I'd be like 'la la la my brother doesn't have sex, ew.' But then again, if Edward was my brother, then I wouldn't have the pleasure of having sex with him. _Oh god, I'm going to just stop there._

Rose laughs loudly at me. "My god, Alice, the poor girl looks like you just kidnapped her puppy for ransom."

"On the contrary, we are actually taking a break from sex…if you must know." I say, crossing my arms. Suddenly the girls gasp and look concerned. I mean, _even Rose_.

"Okay, I'm going to call Jasper and tell him that we're having a girl's night here and then I want to hear all about _that_." Alice points her finger at me on that last word and gets up to find her phone.

"Are you going to call Emmett?" I ask Rose, who's fidgeting with her shirt.

"I want to, but…I don't know. We definitely need to talk this out, but I think I just need time before I see him. I guess I need to think about what I'm going to say, or how I'm going to say it. And then the other thing is that I realized that I drank quite a lot last night! I feel so terrible and I don't wanna harm the baby—"

"Rose," I cut her off. "You didn't know you were pregnant, and it's not like you're an alcoholic. You're barely a social drinker! Before last night, when was the last time you had a drink? Or at least enough to say that you were drunk?" I ask, and she starts to think.

"I think…you know what? I don't even know. Over a month ago, definitely. Work has picked up a lot recently and we've just been so busy."

"See?" I reassure her, "Last night was a one time occurrence. You had no idea, and now you do. If it bothers you that much, then talk to your doctor, but I think you'd only have something to worry about if you were drinking regularly. I mean, I'm pretty sure one binge when you didn't know is highly unlikely to do any harm." She nods, relieved.

"I'm just so scared, you know? Like, every little thing I do for the next 8 months is going to scare me. I'm gonna be walking on eggshells," She says with a pout.

"This is a new thing for you; you're not going to have all the answers. That's all part of the experience," She smiles and I place my hand on top of hers gently. "You'll be fine, Rose. You're going to do great, and you're lucky - you have a whole support system and family behind you. We all love you and we're all going to take care of you. We're all going to love this baby with you. Emmett is going to be so happy, Rose, you'll see." Finally, a happy tear runs down her flawless face with a beaming smile.

"I _am _really lucky, huh?" I smile and nod, and there it is_. She's fucking glowing._

Alice emerges from her bedroom and claps her hands together.

"Alright, so everything's good. What are we going to order? Pizza, Chinese…? Hey, Preggo, what are you craving?" Rose rolls her eyes and I snicker.

_Well, this is going to be an interesting night._

**EPOV**

"Dude, I don't even know. I came home and asked her what was up. She fucking went mental on me and started crying. I tried consoling her and she pushed me—hard, by the way— and was like '_oh my god, leave me alone, I don't wanna see you right now_' and shit," Emmett says, his voice going high pitched when imitating Rosalie.

"Hmm," is all I can say.

"I just don't get it. The way she was acting made me think…you know…" He says, wincing painfully.

"Fuck that, man. She's not dumping you." I say as Emmett shrugs.

A knock at my door interrupts our discussion and I move to get up when the door opens.

"Dude, you should really learn to lock your door," Jasper says, coming inside with a pizza box, along with Jake, who's carrying two 12-packs of beer.

"What's with all the shit?" Emmett asks.

"Alice called me. The girls are having a girls night, so I just went and got a few things and invited myself over," He says, not even bothering to look at me for approval.

"Yeah, and I ran into Jay when he was buying beer and I invited myself over too," Jake adds with a big smile.

They sit down and we dig in to the beauty that is our meat lover's pizza and continue to gossip like women.

"So, okay, blondie just…flipped out on you?" Jake asks, devouring his first slice like a dog.

"Yeah, I don't fuckin' know man. She didn't even want me to touch her. It was like I repulsed her or something."

Jasper shakes his head. "Rosie's never had mood swings like that. I don't even know what to tell you."

Emmett grabs his phone and dials her number. "Her phone's off. Why the fuck is her phone off?!" He yells at the phone.

My phone goes off and I slide to unlock it and there's a message from Bella.

_Staying at Alice's for a bit tonight against my will. Being subjected to chick flicks and ice cream.  
There may or may not be a pillow fight in our underwear. Would rather be at home with you xo - BS_

I groan at the thought of Bella in her underwear and a tight tank top.

_Yeah, Jasper just showed up with pizza and beer. Is Rose with you? Can't say the same regarding the pillow fight,  
although the thought of you in your underwear is just heavenly. Be sure to send pictures. Everything okay? - EC_

"Speaking of girls' nights…" Jasper turns his head to look at Jake. "Why'd _you_ come tonight? Where's Leah?"

"She's at her parent's house for the night. She tried inviting me but I told her I'm not ready to meet her family," All three of us "_oooh_" at him and I throw my balled-up napkin at him.

"Shit's getting serious, eh?" I ask and Jake nods.

"I'm crazy about her, man. I'm just afraid of the whole meeting-the-parents thing. It's a sign that it's serious and it scares the shit out of me," I'm about to say something else when my phone goes off again.

_Yeah, she's here. Everything's okay, but I can't tell you yet. Don't say anything. - BS_

"Her phone is off. Something's gotta be wrong, man. I can't fucking—"

"Calm the fuck down, Em. Bella just messaged me. They're all at Jasper's." I say to him, and he nods and calms down a bit, grabbing another slice of pizza.

But what could possibly be going on where Rosalie needs her space? I know she's not the type of girl to cheat on him. And there's no way in hell that she'd want to break it off with him. This isn't like Rose, she doesn't just flip out and leave. She's the kind of person who will corner you and confront the shit out of you until you crack. She'd be a great lawyer, she can be quite intimidating. I mean, I guess her hormones could be all out of whack, but I don't— _Oh fuck. _I immediately pick my phone up and type my message to Bella and send it without thinking.

_…am I going to be an uncle? - EC_

Panic courses through my body all at once. This can be a good thing, right? I mean, I'd be one hell of an uncle. I've always wanted to _be_ an uncle. Actually, this would mean that we'd all be aunts and uncles to this kid. And my mother, _oh my god_, my mother. She will be so tickled pink if Rose is pregnant. She made a joke once about a year ago about switching Bella's birth control pills with placebos while we were sleeping because she wants grandkids. To this day, I don't know if she was joking, but I can tell you this— I made Bella throw that pack out and buy another pack _just in case_.

Jasper's voice snapped me out of my panic. "Dude, you need to stop. Clearly something's up with Rosie, but just give her some space. It's probably not even you. Stop freaking out, play some Black Ops or something and forget about it. She'll call when she's ready. It's not like she's out drunkenly galavanting with a bunch of dudes in a limo. She's at my place with your sister and Bella. She's safe, and she's venting. Leave it be until she calls you." Jasper's always been the best at calming people down. There's just something soothing about his reassurance. Of course, until a guy grabs my sister's ass at a bar, then it's a fucking free-for-all and that son of a bitch is done for.

"But that's the thing, bro, she usually comes to _me_ if she has a problem. Nothing against the girls, but I can't help but feel like I did something wrong." Emmett says.

"You need to stop getting yourself worked up, man," Jake says, passing a beer to Emmett and then reaching for the TV remote to turn on the sports highlights. "Don't sweat it, dude."

My phone goes off and I try to not grab it off the table so quickly, but I fail.

_:) Shhhh. - BS_

The smile on my face is probably so obvious right now, but I can't help it. I want so badly to jump up and scream to the whole fucking world. I'm…well, I didn't think I'd react this way, but _fuck_, I'm going to be an uncle! I can't hide the smile on my face and I can't stop reading Bella's response, as I type my own.

_FUCK. YES. - EC _

"Eddie, what the fuck are you smiling at? Your dick ain't that big," Emmett says.

"Dude, really? You can dirty text Bella some other time," Jasper says. I wave him off and put my phone in my pocket. I feel like a girl at this moment only for the fact that the only thing running through my head is _I know something you don't know. _

Emmett grabs his phone and again tries to call Rosalie, but as he'd discovered earlier, her phone is still off. He puts it back on the table.

"I can't do this, guys. I can't bear the thought that this may be the end for us. I can't handle the suspense. I need to fucking talk to her. I need to know what's going on." He stands up, grabs his phone and stuffs it into his pocket. "I'm going to fucking talk to Rose."

**BPOV**

After Rose finally decided that she wanted Greek food, we ordered and it didn't take too long to deliver. It also didn't take long for her to devour her food, and greek food doesn't come in small portions. Extra tzatziki drizzled on top of everything, she inhaled her food like it was nobody's business. Emmett's gonna have fun with her— no one's ever been able to out-eat Emmett.

"I think this is what they call a foodgasm," Rosalie says with a giggle and a mouth full of food. Alice and I both nod.

My phone goes off again, and I whimper at the thought of me having to put my food down. Truth be told I wasn't very hungry when I got here, but greek food is something I'd never pass up. I wipe my hands on my napkin and check my phone.

_…am I going to be an uncle? - EC_

I gulp my food down and stare at my phone. I contemplate putting it down and not responding, but that would be too obvious.

"Uh…Rose?" I ask, and she looks at me. "Eddie texted me and asked if everything was okay, and asked if you were with us," I start.

"Yeah, tell him I'm with you, that's okay. I figure Emmett's with him and he's wondering."

"Well, uh,I did that." I say nervously. "I also said that's something's up but I can't say…"

She knits her eyebrows. "Okay, and?"

I smirk at her and her face doesn't change. "He wants to know if he's going to be an uncle," I say and Alice smacks her hand onto her forehead.

"Of course he said that!" Alice says, "When we were kids, we'd play house, and he always wanted me to call him Uncle Edward. He told me when we were 8 that I should find a husband and have a baby because he wanted to be an uncle. It's secretly always been a thing for him, he's always wanted to be an uncle."

Rose sighs and rolls her eyes. "Well there goes my surprise," she says, "Just make sure he doesn't say anything. Especially to Esme. My god, she's going to be so happy."

I smile and respond with a smiley face and his response is almost instant. The bubble pops up that he's typing a message and I gasp out a laugh at his reply.

_FUCK. YES. - EC_

"Someone's a happy camper. He says, in capital letters, 'FUCK. YES.'" Rose laughs and Alice giggles her head off. "Told you," Alice says.

"_Anyways,_" Alice begins, "Bella, tell me about this break from sex that you and Edward are having."

"Ooooh, yeah!" Adds Rosalie. _These girls are fucking vultures, I'm telling you._

"Well, uh, it started…this morning, actually. I wouldn't necessarily call it a break, now that I think about it. Eddie and I woke up with a couple of killer hangovers. We got up, and he decided to give me a little lovin' in the shower." Alice wiggles her eyebrows at me and I roll my eyes and continue. "After the shower, I was getting ready to go to Riley's house for brunch and I found myself staring into space— and when I came back down, I realized that I was staring right at his…um, crotch." And right on cue, the girls start laughing. "_Anyway_, he makes a funny comment about my being insatiable, which I freely admit because I've been without—" I freeze. _Right, they wouldn't understand how I've gone without Edward. _"I mean, not without, but had certainly less of in the past little while," I recover, "and lately we've just been at it like rabbits. So basically we made a bet as to who can cave first. And when I asked what was in it for me if I win, you know what he said?"

The girls both shake their heads. "He said that I get the privilege of him '_fucking me senseless_'."

Alice literally laughs out loud. "_Oh my god_. Well, if there's anything my brother loves, it's a challenge. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve?"

I smirk. "I may or may not have a plan."

"We're all ears!" Rosalie says.

I reach for my phone and show them the photo of what I ordered for him. "Actually, I received it in the mail yesterday after I got home from work. I was going to surprise him with it one of these days. I know he'll cave in for sure." A few days ago, I ordered a custom made New England Patriots jersey with _CULLEN_ on the back, and the number 1. New England is Edward's favourite football team, and they have been since he was a little boy. Ever since Emmett introduced him to the concept of football when they were kids, he's been a fan. He goes absolutely crazy over them and follows them every season.

"Holy fuck," Rose says, "He's going to go fucking _crazy_ over that! I'm pretty sure that 'possessive Edward' is going to come out to play."

I giggle at the thought. _Mhmmm. _"Oh, I'm counting on it!"

"You know," Alice says, "You could really have some fun with that…"

"What do you mean?" I ask her with a devious smirk. I'm definitely open to ideas.

"Everyone knows that my brother is possessive. Not in a creepy way, of course, but he is. If you wear that, especially with his name on it, he's going to freak. And if you…let's say, _model it for him_, you're going to drive him crazy. Especially if you won't let him touch you. You have to make him…_beg._"

"And," Rose adds, "Act completely innocent. Like whatever you're doing to him, or whatever reaction you're getting out of him, you're completely oblivious to it. That will make it worse. Edward only has so much self-control."

I nod and take mental notes. "I was going to give it a few days, but you know what? I'm doing this tonight!"

Alice nods with approval. "You're going to drive him crazy, Bella. Trust me."

Rose takes a drink and suddenly, out of nowhere, laughs, spitting her drink onto the carpet. _Alice is going to kill her._

"ROSE! THE CARPET!" Alice stands up and scolds her. "WHITE CARPETS!" She shrieks.

"I'm sorry, Al, it's just…the movie," She says in between gasps, "Oh my god, I just can't!" I look over to the TV and remember that _Bridesmaids _is on. It's at the part when they go for lunch and they all end up with food poisoning. Apparently the line "_It's coming out of me like lava!_" Sent her for a loop and she couldn't control her outburst.

Alice laughs, as do I, and she sits down defeatedly. As much as this could be considered a chick flick, it's funny enough where men can enjoy the humour too.

_"It's happening…it happened."  
"Oh, you're really doing it, aren't you?…you're shittin' in the street…"_

I don't even know how it happened, but suddenly we're quoting the movie.

"_It's a Mexican drinking worm. It's like a Native American symbol, meaning 'wasted'._" Alice quotes, with air quotations.

"Aww man, I swear the best line, though, was '_I want to apologize, I'm not even confident on which end that came out of'_." Rosalie says, unable to stop her laughing.

"_At first,_" I start, trying my hardest to imitate an Australian accent, "_I did not know it was your diary, I thought it was a very sad handwritten book._"

"_I've seen better tennis playing in a tampon commercial_" Alice giggles.

"_I'm glad he's single, 'cause I'm gonna climb that like a tree_!" I say.

"Oh my god, no…I got it, I got it," Rose says. "They are cute, but when they reach that age, ugh. Disgusting. They smell, they're sticky, they say things that are horrible, and there is semen all over everything. Disgusting…I cracked a _blanket_ in half. Do you get where I'm going with this? I cracked it in _half_!" We all burst out laughing uncontrollably. I don't think we've had this much fun together in a long time. Usually, this would involve wine, but out of respect for Rosalie, we're completely sober, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

There's a knock at the door and we jump at the intrusion. _A noise complaint, really? We're just laughing, geez._ Alice gets up to look out the peep hole and freezes. She looks back to us with a worried look. "Al, who is it?" Rose asks. Alice slowly unlocks the door and opens the door slightly. Suddenly the sound of Emmett's voice fills the apartment.

"Okay, where is she?" He asks. Rose gets up instinctively and looks at me. I stand up too, and grab her hand. "Rose, it's alright, he's worried."

"I don't want to tell him like this, Bella," She whispers. I shrug. "Maybe it's gotta be now, Rose. Don't worry, we're all here—" I'm cut off at the sound of Emmett entering the apartment. But I wasn't exaggerating when I said 'we're _all here', _because behind Emmett came Jasper, Edward and Jake. _Uh oh._

Edward comes to me and Rose and shrugs apologetically. "We tried."

"Rose, babe, we need to talk," Emmett says, almost on the brink of tears. He looks around for a second. "Privately."

Rose looks at Alice and I, then at Emmett. "No, Emmett, I want to do this right here, in front of everybody." She crosses her arms and doesn't move. _There's the Rosalie we all know and love._

Emmett stares at her for a second, and continues. "Rose, I'm going to be blunt here, but you've left me no choice. Are you leaving me?" Emmett looks absolutely destroyed at the possibility, wow. Rose holds her blank stare and tilts her head slightly to the right.

"No."

Emmett's face remains the same. "Are you…" He stops and takes a deep breath. _My god, this is like a fucking soap opera. _"Are you fucking somebody else?" Alice gasps at his boldness.

Rose, again, keeps her composure, challenging him. "No."

Emmett relaxes a bit, but still maintains his nervous body language. He looks as though he's about to say something when Rose smiles sweetly at him. He knits his eyebrows and she smiles even wider and the tears roll down her face. "But I _am_ pregnant." The words leave her mouth and I can tell that she's relieved.

Emmett's eyes look as though they're about to pop right out of his head. His mouth gapes open as Rose happily and completely falls apart in front of his eyes. "We're having a baby, Emmett!" Rose exclaims excitedly. Emmett remains frozen as Jasper perks right up behind him. He steps in front of Emmett and stands in front of Rosalie.

"Rosie…you're having a baby? Oh my god, darlin'!" He wraps her in a big hug and lifts her off the floor. "My sister's having a baby!" He yells to the ceiling and everyone laughs as he spins her around.

Edward grabs her next and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so happy for you, Rose." He reaches down and wipes a tear off her cheek, smiling wide.

"Me too, Uncle Edward!" She grins at him and he laughs and wraps her in a big hug.

Jake gives her a congratulatory kiss and takes her hands in his. "Aww, blondie, you're gonna do great, love! Ah, I'm so happy for you!"

Everyone moves away and Emmett's still standing in the place that he was, his expression unreadable. Without warning, Emmett does something that no one has ever seen him do. A tear runs down his cheek and he sniffles. "We're having a baby?" He whispers softly, as Rose nods and smiles. He finally moves and walks right up to her and takes her face in his hands. "We're having a baby," He says again, only this time it's not a question. He kisses her softly as Edward wraps his arm around my waist and Alice rests her hand on Jasper's chest. Emmett, still slightly teary-eyed, drops to his knees and lifts her shirt up a bit to reveal her belly. He places a soft kiss on her stomach, then hugs her.

He stands back up and wraps his arms around her, while she happily cries some more— and we all stand around to capture this happy moment.

* * *

"Are you alright, baby?" Edward asks me. We finally made it home after being at Alice's for a few hours, then Edward had to go back to Jake's club to get his car that he left there last night. Good thing we both have cars.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I say, "I'm just tired. I'm so happy for Rose and Em, though. They're going be great parents. Can you believe that I've never seen Emmett cry before?" I giggle.

"Heh. Yeah, that was, uh, interesting. They're going to do great…" He says awkwardly, and he remains silent for a while, looking like something's on his mind.

"Edward, what's on your mind?" I ask.

He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. "Nothing," he tries, but that's not going to work with me.

"No, really, what's up?"

He stares at me for a second as if he's choosing his words carefully. His face then drops to the floor, almost embarrassingly. "It's just…watching Rose and Emmett glow over the fact that they're having a baby made me realize something," he says, still not looking at me.

"What's that?"

"It made me wish that…it was _our_ moment, not theirs." He finally looks from the ground up to my eyes.

"What?" I look at him skeptically. _I am nowhere near ready for that._

"I don't know," He says, looking back down to the floor, "A part of me just wished that it was you that was pregnant."

"Edward…" I start, but he cuts me off.

"I'm not saying that I want it now, but I can't help but dream of the day when you tell me you're pregnant with my child." He smiles warmly. I step over to him and kiss him.

"We're nowhere near ready," I say, "but I can't wait until that day either. But Edward, there's nothing wrong with thinking about our future, you know. You're not committing any crimes here."

He smirks at me. "I know, I just don't wanna scare you. I mean, I don't want you to think that I'm going to deliberately try and get you pregnant—"

"Edward, I know. It's okay," I reassure him, and he kisses me gently. He deepens the kiss and soon enough I find myself lying on the couch underneath him. He's changing his kisses from light to dominant, and I realize what this is about to turn into. He runs his hands under my shirt and I moan at the dual sensation of his touch and his kisses, unable to help myself. He presses himself into me, and I let out a sound that's somewhere between a moan and a snicker.

"I love you," I sigh, "but I'm not going down without a fight, Eddie." As I push him off me, he pouts and I laugh.

"I really am serious, though, Bella. I can't wait to spend forever with you and our children." He kisses me and gets up to have a shower.

As he's showering, I continue to clean up the living room, throwing out the pizza boxes and wiping the table down. I go to put our shoes in the closet by the front door, and I remember my little shipment that I received earlier. Edward's going to go crazy,and I relish in the thought of the fact that I'm going to win this little bet. I pull my little package out and hear that Edward's shower is done. _I really don't think I'll need it tonight._

And _boy_, how wrong am I. Edward comes right out into the living room, completely naked, drying his hair off with a towel. I stop dead in my tracks, holding the package still, and I immediately start drooling, and I _don't_ mean from my mouth. My eyes are taking everything in and raking over his entire body. His chiseled abs, his long, lean legs, and that special 'V' leading down to Bella's little happy place. Well, okay, definitely not _little_, but, ya know. His eyes meet mine with that shit-eating grin on his face and he has the audacity to ask "What is it, Bella?"

I only stare at him blankly, with no words forming at my mouth. He's looking at me, as if he's about to say '_your move_', and I shake my head.

"Nothing," I say, nonchalantly, "I think I'm going to go have a shower now, though." I move to walk past him, and he stops me with a kiss on the lips. "I'll be listening for any shower head use." He says huskily, and I huff past him. _Game on, Edward._

In the bathroom, I have my quick shower and wrap myself in a towel. I apply my various face products to my face, brush my teeth, and I don't bother to take off my make-up from earlier. I blow dry my hair, and then open up the package and start dressing myself. If Edward thinks that he's going to win this, he's severely wrong. I am not going down without a fight. I absolutely refuse to give in unless he begs me. Secretly I hope he gets to the point of begging because after seeing him completely naked like that, my girly bits are throbbing with anticipation.

I open the bathroom door only to hear the TV on. I poke my head around to the living room and see Edward facing the TV, his back to me. I look myself over in the mirror one more time. I also decided to accessorize by adding a silver bra and a grey pair of boy shorts with the New England symbol on the front.

I come out and find him on the couch, clothed this time, and watching the TV.

"_Edwaaaard_," I call out to him and he responds with a "Yeah?"

"Can I get your opinion on something?" I ask as I walk out to the living room and around the couch. His eyes meet mine for a second until he realizes what I'm wearing. His eyes instantly look me up and down and I can tell by his mouth hanging open that his mouth is as dry as the desert.

"Well?" I ask, turning around. He takes notice how my boy shorts hug my ass perfectly, but more so the name on the back of the jersey.

"Bella…" Is all he can say and I turn back around to face him. I watch him swallow loudly as he never takes his eyes off of me. Of course, I'm not going to make it that easy. So I smile sweetly and sit down next to him, but not too close.

"So what are you watching?" I ask.

"Uh, umm, Die Hard," He says, trying extremely hard to focus.

"Oh, I love this movie!" I say, perhaps a little too over enthusiastically and I'm not totally lying. It really is a great movie.

5 minutes of silence go by and I hear his intense breathing. I can tell that he's trying really hard to watch this movie, and not focus on what I'm wearing. _This is a lot easier than I thought. There's nothing wrong with enjoying watching your boyfriend squirm a little, right? _

He rubs his palms on his thighs nervously and gets up then, rather quickly. "You want some water?" He says, heading straight for the kitchen, not bothering to look at me.

"Sure," I say after him, and he says nothing. He returns with 2 glasses of water and sits back down. He downs his water in a flash as mine remains on the table.

Again, another 5 minutes of silence.

Finally, Edward speaks. "You know, you don't play fair."

I look at him with an innocent look on my face as he continues to stare at the television. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Bella," He says, looking to his right, at me, slowly moving over to me. His eyes are getting darker and I know what he's trying to do. He thinks that I'll cave in if he starts getting all dominant. I'm not going to lie, it's working. But I'm not giving in.

"Well," I stand up. "I don't know what you're talking about," I bend over in front of him to gather the last of the remaining garbage left behind by our friends, when his hands grab my hips and he turns me around. I recognize that lusty fire in his eyes and it almost does me in completely.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, _Isabella_…" Oh shit. His use of my full name means that he is 100% serious, and as much as I hate my full name, it oozes with sex when he says it and it sounds very sexy when it comes from his lips. He pulls me down onto his lap and stares into my eyes. He starts rubbing circles with his fingers on my thighs, and I'm having a very hard time not reacting to his touch.

"Edward…" I whisper. _No, no, no. I'm not going to lose._

"Bella…" He smirks, "Tell me what you want." My breath hitches in my throat. "Who am I kidding? I already know what you want. You want me to talk dirty to you, don't you?"

I can't speak. This man is going to ruin me. Before I'm defeated, I place my arms on his shoulder and push him back against the couch. I grind myself on him and look him straight in the eyes. "Now you listen to me, Edward. You wanna play? Then let's play. But I'm going to get you so flustered that you're going to _beg for it_. And I'm not going to give in until you admit that I win." His eyes almost pop right out of his head and I see the bob of his adam's apple.

"Take your hands off me and keep them on the couch," I command him. I've never really been this dominant before, but I'm kind of liking it. I love that I can easily turn the tables and have him at my mercy. He does what I tell him, not taking his eyes off of me.

"Now, you're not going to touch me until I say so, do you understand?" His forehead drops and he nods like a good little boy. I start by wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him lightly on the mouth. I then move to his jawline, and to his neck. His breathing is quickening and I grind myself a little harder on him, eliciting a moan from him.

"_Bella—_"

"Shh."

I can feel how hard he is underneath me and I continue with my teasing. I stand up, much to his dismay, until I reach down to his pants and pull out his full erection.

"Fuck…" He hisses, and I wrap my hand around him, pumping him. He moves his hands from the couch and I stop mid-stroke.

"Edward, what did I say about your hands? You don't want me to stop, do you?" I ask.

"F-fuck no," He says, and I smile. "Then keep your hands off me and on the couch." He complies.

I start pumping him again, and his hips start slowly thrusting up all by themselves. I decide to speed up this process and I know this part is going to kill him the most. "Remember what I said about your hands, now…" And I lower my mouth on the tip of him, and he chokes out a yell.

"Bella, fuck…mmm, Bella," I know he's trying his hardest to not put his hands in my hair.

I start to bob my head up and down on his cock and his hips are fully thrusting up into my mouth, his hands shaking beside me. I wrap my hand around what can't fit in my mouth and suck the tip of him with everything in me, causing him to yell out my name. As soon as my name leaves his lips, I stop what I'm doing, causing a very disapproving and very loud groan from him.

"W-what the— Bella…"

"Edward," I ask sweetly, "Do you want to cum?"

His eyes roll to the back of his head as he nods furiously. I graze his cock up and down with only the tips of my fingers, almost barely. He twitches and I smirk at him, knowing that I have him right where I want him, and that his initial plan failed. "Baby, please…"

"I'm only going to let you cum on one condition. I want to hear you beg." I say, all signs of sweetness leaving my voice, replaced with lust. "I want you to tell me how much you love it when I suck your cock, how you love it when I ride it." He groans, digging his fingers into the couch. "But most importantly, you know what I wanna hear?" He shakes his head, looking almost scared.

"I want you to tell me that I win, and that you are completely insatiable…and that you can't live without fucking the daylights out of me."

"Oh f—ffuck…" He's panting heavily now with need, and I know that he's almost ready to…_pop_.

"I can't hear you, baby," I taunt him and he swallows loudly. I know he's trying to fight it, but he knows just as well as I do that I'll just get up and go to bed if he doesn't do what I want.

"Bella…I, fuck. I love it when you suck and fuck me, baby. I love it when you ride my cock, when you bounce up and down on it. I love it when your perfect tits are bouncing in my face while your pussy is squeezing my cock. And I think I would die if I could never fuck you again because i love it so much. Fuck, baby, you win. I need you, Bella. I can't…" That's all I need to hear, his words soaking me through my boy shorts. I lower my mouth onto him again and bob up and down fast, while his hands go right into my hair. His hips are thrusting at an intense speed and he starts fisting my hair, causing my scalp to burn.

"Oh, fuck…shit…BELLA, OH FUCK—" His eyes close and his mouth hangs open, breathing heavy, as he spills into my mouth. His eyes stay closed for quite a few seconds as I swallow him and lick him clean as I release him from my mouth. He finally opens his eyes and he looks at me, clearly not believing what just happened here.

I smile deviously at him as I sit back down on his lap, tucking him away. "I win," I saw proudly, and he groans and lifts me up, my legs wrapping around his waist. He carries me to the bedroom, and gently lays me down on the bed.

"I need to get a good look at what you're wearing, Bella, but more importantly, I need you naked, now." It's his turn to be dominant, and I know that I'm going to pay for what I just did. I shiver in delight as I think about all the different ways he could take me. He slips my jersey up my body and over my head, and he holds it out in front of him, reading the name on the back. He finally throws it over his shoulder, it landing somewhere behind him, and he looks at my silvery-grey bra. "I fucking love it when you're matching." He reaches behind me and undoes it and throws it behind him as well. He gets to my boy shorts and gasps. I'm soaked all the way through, even up towards the logo. He growls something inaudible and rips them off my body, leaving me completely naked.

He grabs his shirt and it flies over his head, and his PJ bottoms are gone as well, and he rests himself in between my soaked center. "Fuck, Bella. You're fucking _soaked. _You like being in control, don't you baby?" I nod and he shakes his head and his finger at me. He lifts my left leg so that it rests on his shoulder and pushes himself, ever so slowly, right into me. I scream out in pleasure, and I move my hips so that I can feel him, but he stops me by holding me down with his other hand.

"No, Bella…this is going to be on _my_ terms. And this is going to be anything but soft, baby." He starts thrusting in and out of me at a frantic pace, and I can't handle the pressure. He reaches down and rubs my clit, causing sensitivity where I didn't even know I had it. He needs me to cum; he knows he's not going to last long. I'm screaming things that aren't even words, but he grins every time I scream out his name. "That's right, baby. _Mine_." He drops my leg and they both wrap around his waist, my heels digging into his ass, pushing myself more and more to the pleasure I'm seeking, until…

"Oh, fuck…Edw…oh shit, EDDWWWAARRRDDD" I scream, and he continues and drill into me, sweat dripping from his forehead. He doesn't stop while I'm riding out one of the most intense orgasms of my life, and when I go limp, he chuckles, slowing his thrusts.

"God, baby. You're so fucking sexy when you cum. I want you to cum again. Can you do that for me, baby?" I shake my head no, and he laughs. "We shall see."

He flips me over so that I'm on my stomach, and raises me gently until I'm on my hands and knees in front of him. I look up and reach up to grab the headboard for support, to avoid my head going straight through it. He rubs his cock against my now dripping opening, and he moans. "Hold on tight, baby. I'm going to fuck you into the next millennium." I gasp at his words as he thrusts into me again. Thrusting into me like an animal, he roughly grabs my hair and pulls me up so that I'm sitting up on my knees.

"Cum for me, Bella. Do it. I need to feel you cum on me so bad, baby. You're so wet for me, so tight. Come on, cum on my cock." That's all it takes. I tightly close my eyes and prepare myself for the hot white heat that courses through my body, my orgasm taking over every inch of me. I scream bloody fucking murder as I hear Edward yell out his release as well.

I still myself, and let out a huge sigh. He pulls out of me, and goes to the bathroom to clean himself up, and to get me a cloth to clean up as well.

I lie back, still panting, not believing how powerful my orgasm was. Edward slips under the covers beside me, bringing his hand to his forehead. "Holy shit," He speaks first, sighing and laughing at the same time. I slip under the covers as well, and he kisses the top of my head.

"Son of a bitch, I can't believe you won," he says, "but that was so fucking hot!" I laugh as well, trying to slow down my breathing at the same time.

It's not long before we lose ourselves to sleep, wrapped up in each other, and me basking in my victory.

* * *

"Bella?" I hear faintly.

"Bella? Can you hear me? Bella?" Suddenly there's a shadowy figure in front of me, entirely out of focus. The figure starts to come into focus, and I hear his voice louder and louder. I feel like I'm slowly regaining my hearing back. The person in front of me is completely in focus now, and I'm face to face with Laurent.

"Laurent?" I look around, being surrounded by a forest I've never seen before. "What's going on?"

"Bella, you're having a lucid dream," He says.

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

"You're having a dream, and your mind knows that it's only a dream. This is the only way I could contact you."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Bella, I needed to speak with you. It's urgent."

"_I knew it," _I throw my hands up in the air. "I knew that you'd make me lose Edward again, I knew this was too good to be true!" Laurent shakes his head.

"No, Bella, I'm not here to bring you back, I'm here because you're in danger," He says, grabbing my hands.

"Danger? What kind of danger?" I gasp.

"There's been…a disruption. Two beings like me, they're missing, Bella. And they're looking to hurt you," He says, pain and worry in his eyes.

"Wh-why?" I yell. "What could they possibly want with me?"

"It's nothing personal, they just…I don't know how to explain it to you, Bella. But these two…they live to cause trouble. We don't know why they've become sickly mad, but some people…they just want to watch the world burn. And these two, James and Victoria, are out to hurt you. There's always been a rivalry between us, and they've done something that you absolutely must not do in our realm, Bella. They've mated. It is forbidden for us to do such things, and they have. My father, Aro, has cursed them and they've broken a lot of rules. They've fled, nowhere to be found. We're setting out to find them and destroy them before they can hurt you."

"So what am I supposed to do? Wait around for them to kill me?" Panic starts to set in.

"I can't tell you what they're going to do, Bella, because I don't know. All I can tell you is to be watchful. Please, Bella." Laurent squeezes my hands.

"And what about Edward? What am I supposed to tell him?"

"That is up to you, Bella. Just please…be careful."

He starts fading away and I call out to him. The last thing I remember is darkness coming over me.

* * *

I open my eyes in a panic, realizing what just happened. _Was that even real? _I shake my head. _No, that was just a stupid dream. _

I look over to my left, and I see Edward sitting on his side of the bed, his back to me. He knows I'm awake, but he's not saying a word. "Edward?"

He looks to the side, looking at me through the corner of his eye. He moves his head back to the direction of the wall, running his hand through his hair.

"Edward?" I ask again, "What is it?"

He shifts his body to the side, facing the head of the bed and he looks at me with pain in his eyes. He takes a slight breath before he speaks.

"Who's Laurent, Bella?"

.

.

.

.

.

**So, should she tell Edward the truth, or should she keep it from him in fear that he might think she's crazy? Or should I do a little more EPOV? I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**And hey, it's my 21st birthday! Leave me some reviews to make me happy? **

**By the way, I ended up seeing Breaking Dawn Part 2, and I was actually surprised at how good it was. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that the ending tugged at my heart strings a bit. I'm not really a fan of the movies, because I feel like they could have been ****_a lot_**** better, especially since the first one was just…yeah. But I find it funny how the book that I hated most in the series was the best movie(s). **

** Anyways, I'll shut up now. See you next time, please review!**


	10. The Same Deep Water As You BPOV

**-CHAPTER 10-**

**This chapter is going to be shorter, as well as the next, only for the fact that I didn't want to put BPOV and EPOV in the same chapter.**

"Who's Laurent, Bella?" His question echoes in my mind as sheer panic runs over my face, spreading all over my body in waves of heat. _Where the hell did that come from?_ I don't know how to answer him, although he has to know that it's not what he thinks. The look on his face is excruciatingly painful to see; he looks completely beaten up, with moisture forming in his tear ducts. How do I even begin to explain this to him?

"Edward…" I start but he cuts me off.

"Bella, if you're…seeing someone else—"

"No!" I yell, "It's not like that, I swear! But…where did you hear that name?"

"You were sleeping, having some sort of a bad dream. I went to shake you and you said his name. You were talking about not wanting to lose me. I tried to wake you up, and you said 'don't tell Edward'. And it's not the first time I've heard that name. The other night, when we left the club, you said his name then too. Something about him being the reason that we're together? It came flooding back to me eventually, especially last night when I heard it again," he says, looking down to the ground. "Bella, if you're cheating on me, you need to tell me right now."

I burst into tears, knowing that my tears won't help the situation. _Right, Bella, cry so he thinks you're guilty of cheating on him._

"No, Edward, I'm not cheating on you! It's just…" I sob into my hands.

"Then why are you crying?" His gaze changes from hurt to suspicious…maybe a mix of both.

"Because it's so overwhelming and you don't deserve to be brought into this…"

He arches an eyebrow at me. "This isn't helping your case, Bella. You need to tell me what's going on."

I nod, wiping my tears and I calm down a bit. "Okay," I sigh, "let's get dressed and make some coffee, and I'll tell you everything. But Eddie, I'm not cheating on you, okay? I promise." I reach up to cup his cheek and he sighs in relief. I then crawl to him and straddle his lap to kiss him deeply, and he kisses me back.

"I don't know what I would've done," He whispers, "I can't lose you, Bella, I can't live without you."

"I would never cheat on you, Edward. I love you."

I feel his morning hardness underneath me and I find myself needing to feel him. I need to show him how much I love him, how much I'd never leave him. I grind myself on him and he moans, taking the hint. He lifts me slightly and gently pulls me down onto him. We both moan at the contact and stay connected for a minute before I start rocking slowly above him. He sighs at the feeling of being inside me, running his hands up and down my thighs, and I kiss him again. "Baby, I love you. I'll never leave you. Mmm, I'm always going to be here, okay?" I place my hand on his heart and he nods. I know this isn't going to last long, but he has to know how I feel. "Mmm," He moans at my movements and kisses my neck. "I love you too, Bella. Fuck, you feel so good…" I keep rocking back and forth when I feel that familiar feeling in my stomach. But this isn't about me, it's about him. "Eddie, cum with me," I whisper in his ear, and he moans with a loud sigh as his eyes bore into mine, his forehead leaning against mine. It's only a matter of seconds before we both fall together, staring in each other's eyes as we do. There's no way I could ever leave Edward, my love for him is too much.

Coming down from our high, he kisses my forehead. "I'm sorry I doubted you, I just didn't know what to think…"

"I promise you, Edward. It will never come to that. What I have to tell you won't be easy to hear, nor will you believe it at first, but I haven't been seeing anyone else." He smiles at me, relieved as all hell.

He chuckles lightly with a smirk and I look at him questioningly. "You're not pregnant, are you?" I answer by rolling my eyes and moving to get off of him. I grab my fleece robe that's hanging from the back of the door and wrap it around myself.

"I'm going to go make coffee. You get dressed, okay?" Edward nods, and I make my way to the kitchen.

I walk into the kitchen as my palms start to sweat. I'm not afraid of the fact that I'm going to tell him what's happened, I'm afraid of his reaction. Edward is the most understanding man I know, but even this would be too much to grasp. I might as well tell him that between the hours of work and hanging out with our friends, I'm secretly caught in the middle of a war between vampires and werewolves that roam the earth. Sounds silly, right? Deep breaths aren't even helping me at this point. _So, uh, yeah, Edward, you died and I somehow got transported to the part of my life that would have happened if I hadn't left. Yep, it's true. And nope, I'm not medicated. _

Edward comes out of the bedroom with black sweat pants hung low on his hips and a tight white v-neck shirt. He sits on the couch and I can tell that he's mentally preparing himself for what I'm about to tell him. _No matter what you're thinking right now, Edward, you won't be expecting this. _I try to think of the ways I could tell him, maybe rehearse a bit. Maybe I could even write it down. None of it matters, I'm still going to sound like I belong in a psych ward. The best way to handle this is, I guess, to just…tell him, right? Just lay it all on the table. The thought of him leaving me for such silliness on my part comes to my head and I swallow it away, not even thinking about it if it were to happen. But it won't…right?

I shake my head in frustration, making my way to the living room. Sitting down, he tilts his head slightly to the side, studying me. "Bella," he says, "I don't think I've ever seen you so…nervous. You know you can tell me _anything_, right?" His emphasis on the word 'anything' makes me scoff internally.

"Edward, I just need to say one thing, okay?" He nods, and I continue. "What I'm going to tell you, and bear with me, please, is going to make me sound completely and utterly insane, but it's the truth and you need to hear it. You may think that things like this don't happen in life, but…as I've discovered, they do. I'm not crazy, I don't need therapy, and you just need to believe me, okay?" He nods again, and I begin.

"You remember the day that you drove to the airport to stop me from going to Boston, yes?" He nods again. "Well, that day, I didn't stay. I left for Boston." He knits his eyebrows in confusion, and I raise my hand to stop him from interjecting. "Please, Edward." He nods again for me to continue. "I left, and Jake took the next plane after me, not wanting to stay in Forks if I wasn't there. I went to college there with Jake. I majored in literature and Jake majored in business management. Jake and I were never romantically entangled, and I was oblivious to the fact that he had been in love with me since high school. After college, Jake wanted to open his own club and we both decided that moving to Los Angeles would be the best thing in order to do that. He worked long hours at various bars in order to gain experience, as well as knowledge on how to run a business like that. He made many friends and contacts in the hospitality and entertainment industry, and finally got approved for a bank loan to open his own place. I still worked at Crowley Publishing, which was still based here, but it had branched out to LA.

"The only thing I had regretted in my life was getting on that plane and never looking back. I never dated anyone, and never stopped thinking about how much I had hurt you. I became such a coward for those 5 years that every birthday you had, I let them pass by painfully, knowing that I could never work up the courage to call you. I refused to go home to see my dad in Forks, for the fear that the news of my return might reach your parents, and that you'd find out." I pause to look at him. He's sitting with his elbows resting on his knees, and he's staring at the floor, listening intently.

"I didn't only hurt you, but I hurt Alice as well. I never contacted her either, even when I was seeing article clippings of her latest fashion line and press conferences. It all came crashing down one morning, when I woke up with a terrible hangover. Jake and I had been out the night before, celebrating the big opening of his nightclub, Eclipse. I got the newspaper from outside my door, and I opened it to find reviews of Jake's club. I was excited, so I turned on the news, hoping that something was mentioned. Unfortunately, what I saw wasn't anything near what I was expecting. There was a news report that said you were in a car crash. You died. I still remember the caption on the screen. _"Young man in Volvo gets crushed in main intersection."_ They said that around 5 in the morning, you were killed instantly in a head-on collision. Tyler Crowley was driving, and he was under the influence. He was minority injured, due to the levels of his intoxication. I guess his whole body was loose when he crashed.

"Jake and I immediately flew home to Forks and we went to visit your parents. We were all reunited and damn it, Edward, going to your funeral was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. The funeral took place in our meadow in Forks, and that thought alone almost brought me to a breakdown. Everyone was grieving, as well as upset that we were reuniting under those circumstances. Rosalie gave a beautiful eulogy and told the story of how you two met— you came to her rescue and forced her bully to eat the cupcake he'd stolen from her off the ground, full of mud."

His head snapped up at that, surprised. To illustrate my point, I continue. "And your father said, and I quote, "to you all, he was Edward, or _Eddie_, as most of his friends called him, but to us, he was just that same little boy that liked to pee in his mother's flower pots." I don't think I've ever seen his eyes so wide. I'm glad that I'm getting at least getting a little bit of a reaction out of him.

"Bella…I've _never_ told you that before…" he says, looking to the ground, and then back up at me. I motion for him to be quiet again, and he stops.

"It was at your funeral that I noticed a man standing out from everyone else. He was wearing a white tuxedo, and it seemed as though no one in the whole place could see him. I mean, the sun reflected off this guy, it was almost mesmerizing. I walked away from the service because I couldn't even bring myself to look at all of the people that were still in your life. I almost felt like I didn't belong there. I sat by myself until the service was over, berating myself with guilt and feeling the pain of never being able to see you again. After what seemed like forever, I walked back to the meadow where everyone had left. The only thing there was a pile of dirt on top of where your casket had been placed. I dropped to my knees beside it and decided to take it upon myself to apologize to you and let all of my guilt and frustrations out. When I got it all out, I was approached by this man, _Laurent_, where he introduced himself and said that he had come to pay his respects.

"He seemed creepy to me at first, but he was literally the kindest person I've ever met. His words were gentle, as was his touch. We talked about my reasoning for feeling the way I did, and to make a long story short, he asked me the question of if I had to do it all over again, would I do it. Like, if I had a second chance to make things right. I, of course, said I would. He made the comment that he had been watching me for quite some time, you too, and I freaked out. After he calmed me down, he explained that he was there to help me. He told me that I was the only one who could see him, so, my first thought was _wow, I'm talking to a crazy person_, and I told him I had to leave. I made a snide comment about him being an angel or something, and he said that it's what I could call him, although that's not what he would call himself. I probably could have handled the whole situation better, but with the emotional state I was in, you couldn't really blame me. I was walking away, and he said behind me "You'll see, Bella. Tomorrow morning when you wake up, things will be different." And Edward, do you know what morning I woke up with you in my arms?"

His eyes find their way back up to mine and he studies me for a moment. He hesitates, but then it's as if a lightbulb appears at the top of his head. "The morning that you…fell out of bed," he says, almost not believing it himself. I nod, and he still seems unsure.

"I couldn't believe it, Edward. The last thing I remember is going to sleep in your old room during the gathering at your parent's house after the funeral. I passed out early that evening, and I woke up in a room I had never seen before, and I felt you behind me. Needless to say, I freaked out."

He nods. "I couldn't understand why you kept asking me if I was really there. You…didn't just wake up from a bad dream."

I shake my head, internally thanking my lucky stars that this is going smoothly, so far. "Edward, you have to understand. That morning was a complete culture shock for me. That was the first time I had seen you in 5 years and I was in your bed, no less. I couldn't believe it, but what Laurent had said was true, and I barely had time to collect all of my thoughts, and then—"

"—and then you attacked me…3 times." He says with a smirk. "And," he continues, "you went out for lunch with Jacob…" he recalls and I nod my head, biting my lip. "I went to go see Jake because I needed to know what else I'd missed out on. Do you know how hard it is to wake up to surroundings you've never seen before? I didn't know if this…transporting…thing happened to Jake too. Turns out he was left out of it, and then I find out that he's always been in love with me…" I trail off, and he's staring at me intensely. "It's a lot to process, Edward." He nods.

"So…" he starts, "you're saying that before that morning, you have no recollection of our life together?" I shake my head, sadly.

"I don't have a single memory of college with you, buying this apartment together or you getting your job officially working under Riley." Sadness flashes through his face, but I can tell he understands. He stays quiet for a minute, trying to process all of what I just told him.

"Forgive me, Bella, it just seems a little hard to believe."

"Edward, you have to believe that I'm not crazy. I just…I've been so happy being here with you and having a relationship with your sister again, and with everyone else. I haven't even called my father since I've been here. I have no idea what he's been up to!" Edward's smirk turns into his notorious crooked smile. "You mean you haven't met his new wife?"

I swear my jaw hits the fucking floor. "His what?!" I yell. "When did he get married?! Have I met her before? Who is she?!" Edward leans back a bit, clearly shocked at my surprise outburst.

"He married Sue Clearwater last year. You've met her, and you love her. You think she's a great match for your dad. You love that he's found someone to be happy with since your mother died." I settle down at the thought of my mother, and he takes my hands in his. I say nothing, and he can tell I'm embarrassed to tell him all of this. I look at him, and he reads my expression right away. I want to know if he thinks I'm crazy.

"Well," he nervously runs his left hand through his hair, "I mean…I guess this explains all the sex we've been having…" I laugh out loud at that one. Of all the things he could say, he says that? He doesn't want to have me tested…or committed? He doesn't want to lobotomize me?!

"After the reaction I just got, I can't believe that I'm actually about to say this, but…I believe you, Bella."

Again, cue my jaw hitting the floor.

"I just watched you freak out over your father being married. We visited him 2 months ago, Bella. We were at his wedding. I mean, I know you're not crazy. Any of the crazy you have left has no doubt been fucked out of you," he says, and my girly bits hum in appreciation. I groan and he snickers.

I sigh loudly, and he smiles. "It's a lot to take in, and believe me, this is…some surreal shit, but we'll get through this. This is what I'm here for, Bella. I'm your partner, right?" I nod.

"But it all makes sense, you know…" he says, "because since that morning, I thought you were acting strange. I always got the feeling that something was up, that you were acting so…lost. It was like you didn't know who you even were anymore, and somehow it had happened overnight. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who noticed it, but I definitely thought something was up."

A thought pops into my head, and I panic again, slightly. "Edward, no one else can know about this. As much as I wish I could tell Alice or Rose, I can't. Jasper and Emmett can't know, and I'm not even going to tell Jake—"

"Well, no shit, Bella. Of all people, you know my sister would never be able to handle something like this. She'd be trying to convince me to take you to therapy. She'd even try and give me numbers of the best doctors in the country. God, she'd probably tell my father!" He laughs. "We can't tell anybody this, Bella. No one would be able to handle the news without wanting to put you away, for it be 'for your own good', or otherwise. _Especially _my sister."

"So, I guess this is our little secret, then?" I ask and he smiles. This went a lot better than I ever expected. I never would have thought that Edward would believe this so easily. I have a hard time believing it myself, most of the time.

"Yeah, Bella. We finally have ourselves a dirty little secret," he says with a wink, and I know now, more than ever, that everything's going to be okay.

.

.

.

.

.

**Finally, the secret's out! EPOV will be up soon, a few days I think. I'm typing up another story as well, and I didn't realize how crazy and time consuming it is working on two stories at once, haha. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**xo**


	11. The Same Deep Water As You EPOV

**-CHAPTER 11-**

**EPOV**

My eyes flutter open at the sound of Bella, yet again, talking in her sleep. She's mumbling things that aren't even words, but I can't help myself— I lean in for a listen. This is of course when she decides to get quiet. She's asleep on her side, facing away from me, and even while she's asleep I still believe that she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She's beautiful when she first wakes up in the morning, when she's frustrated (even though more or less it's because of me), when she's angry, and even more while she's sleeping. There's a sort of innocence to Bella when she sleeps. I chuckle at the thought of the events that occurred earlier on tonight. That outfit, _my god. _I mean, I knew that Bella was going to string me along and make me want her to the point of giving up (yeah, I knew I was going to lose the whole time), but man, she didn't have to go that far. This woman makes me absolutely crazy with lust, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Her soft moans pick up again and I hear my name. _I love when she does that. _I love knowing that she's dreaming about me, even if she doesn't. I always like picking on her in the morning. I'll ask her what she was dreaming about the night before and she'll have no idea. When I tell her that she was moaning my name all night, she blushes that beautiful crimson and hides under the blankets, knowing she'd been caught. Suddenly, I have an idea; a naughty one at that. I shift forward to see just how deep she's asleep, and I decide that I'm going to wake her up with a little bit of a…_bang_. I move downwards and shift her onto her back to kneel between her legs, careful not to wake her. I spread her legs softly, and just as I'm about to move my mouth down to taste her, she moans aloud again, though not out of lust, out of…surprise? I feel as if a bucket of ice cold water is thrown on top of me when I hear the name _Laurent_ come from her lips. I sit there for a second, not knowing where this man's name has just come from. _I've heard that name before though. _Then it hits me. The other night when we were drunk and looking for a cab, she said his name then as well_…_

_"See that? I'm going to build that. I'm going to build it so good that Riley's going to be really proud of me and he'll make me a partner and we'll be rich. We're gonna be so rich, Bella…and I'm gonna marry you!"_

_"You are?" She asks me, wide-eyed._

_"Of course, baby. I'm going to be with you forever, and we're gonna get married and have beautiful babies together and I will love you every day until I die. And then we're gonna be buried in our meadow in Forks together!" I throw my head up to the sky to proclaim my words and I look down at Bella who's now crying. Why's she crying? What'd I say? _

_"Oh no, baby, please…don't cry. I'm sorry—" She cuts me off and throws her arms around my neck. "I love you, Edward." I smile and breathe that I love her too, and god, I really do._

_"Thank you, Laurent, wherever you are, thank you." She says silently, and I know I'm drunk, but I have no idea what she's talking about._

_"Laurent? Who's Laurent?" I ask. Someone we know?_

_She stutters for a second, realizing what she'd said. "He's…he's the reason we're together!" She says._

_"Oh…okay then, to Laurent!" My drunken mind lets it go, and I spot a cab and take off running towards it, Bella running after me._

_He's the reason we're together? What the hell is that supposed to mean?_ I move back to my side of the bed, only I know that sleep isn't going to come that easy. Bella starts talking again, although none of it makes sense. "Bella?" I call out to her softly when she gasps. I lean over to look at her and the look on her face is pure panic. I can tell that she's having a nightmare. Bella's never been good at having nightmares. I remember when her mother passed away, she had very vivid nightmares about her and she'd wake up screaming. I hope she's not having another one of those dreams. I shake her lightly, when she gasps and says his name again. "I can't lose him, Laurent," she mumbles. I go to move closer to her face, when she rolls onto her side and sighs, the fear in her voice gone, and she says "don't tell Edward."

All of the blood drains from my face and my stomach drops. I sit up and turn my back to her, facing the wall. _She's cheating on me? That can't be right…she's happy with me, isn't she? _I've never had any reason to question Bella before. We've been together since high school for fuck sakes! I can't put my finger on who this Laurent guy is. She's never mentioned him. _Well, of course she's never mentioned him, especially if she's fucking him. _I feel as if my entire world is crashing down around me, and before I know it, I'm in tears.

_If she's cheating on me, what the hell am I supposed to do? _

_How am I supposed to live without her? _

_If she's not happy with me, I can let her go if it's what she really wants, but…_

_I don't want to live in a world where I can't be with Bella._

_I don't even see her as the type of person who would cheat…this is my Bella we're talking about!_

_I can't fucking believe that I'm even having those thoughts about Bella._

_Is this the reason why she's been acting so fucking weird lately?_

I sit, staring at the wall for what seems to have been hours, but I can't even be sure, having an internal freak out. All the thoughts in my head right now could fill an entire journal. Finally, not even knowing what time it is, I hear another gasp from Bella, and I hear her body shift. I know she's awake now, but I can't bring myself to look at her. "Edward?" She asks and I turn my head to the right, looking at her from the corner of my eye. I move my head back to the direction of the wall, running my hand through my hair with sigh.

"Edward? What is it?" She asks, sounding worried. _Huh. Worried about what, being caught? _I mentally chastise myself for that internal comment. I shift myself towards the headboard and look at her, off to my right hand side. I take a deep breath and I can tell by her expression that she can see the worry in my eyes.

"Who's Laurent, Bella?" I ask, waiting for my impending doom.

My question definitely affects her, as her face changes instantly from worried to panic. Her face goes a fair shade of red, and I know it's not due to embarrassment. _She's definitely keeping something from me. _I'm trying really hard not to break down and I'm having a hard time controlling my emotions; I have to keep my composure.

"Edward…" she starts but I cut her off. _No, I don't want excuses and diversions. I just want an answer._

"Bella, if you're…seeing someone else—"

"No!" She yells, quite loud, "it's not like that, I swear! But…where did you hear that name?"

"You were sleeping, having some sort of a bad dream. I went to shake you and you said his name. You were talking about not wanting to lose me. I tried to wake you up, and you said 'don't tell Edward'. And it's not the first time I've heard that name. The other night, when we left the club, you said his name then too. Something about him being the reason that we're together? It came flooding back to me eventually, especially when I heard it again," I look down to the ground, not being able to act angry.

"Bella, if you're cheating on me, you need to tell me right now."

She bursts into tears, and I believe that my assumptions are correct. _Here is it, Eddie, you're about to lose the love of your life._

"No, Edward, I'm not cheating on you! It's just…" She sobs into her hands.

I narrow my eyes at her, feeling the anger swell within me. "Then why are you crying?"

She brings her eyes up to meet mine. "Because it's so overwhelming and you don't deserve to be brought into this…"

I arch an eyebrow at her. _Really, Bella?_ "This isn't helping your case, Bella. You need to tell me what's going on." She sees in my eyes that I'm not fucking around. She nods, wiping her tears.

"Okay," she sighs, "let's get dressed and make some coffee, and I'll tell you everything. But Eddie, I'm not cheating on you, okay? _I promise_." She reaches up to cup my cheek and looks at me as I sigh in relief. I calm myself down and I can feel the anger and pain slowly go away. She crawls to me and straddles my lap to kiss me, and I kiss her back with need.

"I don't know what I would've done," I whisper to her, almost ready to cry. "I can't lose you, Bella, I can't live without you."

"I would never cheat on you, Edward. I love you." Her words soothe and reassure me. I feel my dick growing hard, awkwardly enough, and she right away responds to it. She grinds herself on me and I moan, enjoying the feeling of her. Mostly because I know that this is not the end. I lift her slightly and I pull her down onto me. We both moan at the feeling of each other and stay still for a minute until Bella starts rocking slowly above me. I sigh at the feeling of being inside her, feeling like I just won the fucking lottery. I run my palms up and down her thighs soothingly, letting her know that I understand, and she kisses me. "Baby, I love you. I'll never leave you. I'm always going to be here, okay?" She places her hand on my chest, where my heart's beating and I nod. This isn't going to last long. "Mmm," I moans at her movements and I kiss her neck and she sighs. "I love you too, Bella. Fuck, you feel so good…" She tightens her muscles around me and I almost lose my grip right then and there. I know what she's doing. She wants to show me that she's not going anywhere. This woman makes me fall in love with her more and more every day. I love that we don't even need to speak to convey messages to each other. "Eddie, cum with me," she whispers in my ear, and I moan with a loud sigh as my forehead leans against hers. It doesn't take long for us to both lose ourselves in each other, staring in each other's eyes as we do.

After reaching a normal breathing pace, I kiss her again, knowing that I owe her an apology. "I'm sorry I doubted you, I just didn't know what to think…"

She smiles, understanding. "I promise you, Edward. It will never come to that. What I have to tell you won't be easy to hear, nor will you believe it at first, but I haven't been seeing anyone else." I'm grinning now, only because I know that whatever she needs to tell me, I can handle now, knowing that she's not sneaking around on me. If she were pregnant, though, that'd be interesting.

I chuckle at the thought and she looks at me questioningly. "You're not pregnant, are you?" She rolls her eyes and gets off me, grabbing her robe.

"I'm going to go make coffee. You get dressed, okay?" I nod, and she leaves the bedroom.

I sigh, running my hands over my face, wondering what the fuck I was thinking. If it were anyone else, I'd probably have a reason to be worried. If it were Lauren, definitely. But Bella? She'd never do such a thing, she loves me too much. We love each other— we're building a life together. From the one side of my brain, I'm thinking _what the fuck, Cullen? What's the matter with you? _But from the other side, I'm thinking _Hey, it's a plausible thing to be cautious about, and it doesn't matter who the fuck it is! _I bring my little mental debate to an end, and get dressed and go sit in the living room, waiting for Bella.

I take notice of how nervous Bella actually looks. If she isn't cheating, then what does she possibly have to be worried about? We can get through, whatever it is, together. I think back to what she said, how it won't be easy to hear, but it's the truth. _Truth…truth about what?_ Has she been transferred to another publishing house? Hm, well there isn't much of a 'needing to know the truth' aspect to that, so that can't be it. She did roll her eyes at my pregnancy poke, too. She comes out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee, and I can see her shaking her head while doing her own little inner debate. She's probably figuring out _how_ she's going to tell me, but all I'm interested in is what's going on.

She sits down and I just look at her. It's all I can do, because she's literally losing colour in her face.

"Bella," I say, "I don't think I've ever seen you so…nervous. You know you can tell me _anything_, right?" She nods, barely.

"Edward, I just need to say one thing, okay?" I nod, deciding that staying quiet is probably what I need to do. "What I'm going to tell you, and bear with me, please, is going to make me sound completely and utterly insane, but it's the truth and you need to hear it. You may think that things like this don't happen in life, but…as I've discovered, they do. I'm not crazy, I don't need therapy, and you just need to believe me, okay?" I nod again.

"You remember the day that you drove to the airport to stop me from going to Boston, yes?" _I do_. "Well, that day, I didn't stay. I left for Boston." _Uh, okay, wait a second what is she_— she puts her hand up to stop me from interrupting. "Please, Edward." I nod again, leaving her to continue. "I left, and Jake took the next plane after me, not wanting to stay in Forks if I wasn't there. I went to college there with Jake. I majored in literature and Jake majored in business management. Jake and I were never romantically entangled, and I was oblivious to the fact that he had been in love with me since high school. After college, Jake wanted to open his own club and we both decided that moving to Los Angeles would be the best thing in order to do that. He worked long hours at various bars in order to gain experience, as well as knowledge on how to run a business like that. He made many friends and contacts in the hospitality and entertainment industry, and finally got approved for a bank loan to open his own place. I still worked at Crowley Publishing, which was still based here, but it had branched out to LA.

"The only thing I had regretted in my life was getting on that plane and never looking back. I never dated anyone, and never stopped thinking about how much I had hurt you. I became such a coward for those 5 years that every birthday you had, I let them pass by painfully, knowing that I could never work up the courage to call you. I refused to go home to see my dad in Forks, for the fear that the news of my return might reach your parents, and that you'd find out." She pauses to gauge my reaction, but I say and do nothing. I stare at the floor, trying to understand what she's saying, but I won't look at her. I just wait for her to continue.

"I didn't only hurt you, but I hurt Alice as well. I never contacted her either, even when I was seeing article clippings of her latest fashion line and press conferences. It all came crashing down one morning, when I woke up with a terrible hangover. Jake and I had been out the night before, celebrating the big opening of his nightclub, Eclipse. I got the newspaper from outside my door, and I opened it to find reviews of Jake's club. I was excited, so I turned on the news, hoping that something was mentioned. Unfortunately, what I saw wasn't anything near what I was expecting. There was a news report that said you were in a car crash. You died. I still remember the caption on the screen. _"Young man in Volvo gets crushed in main intersection."_ They said that around 5 in the morning, you were killed instantly in a head-on collision. Tyler Crowley was driving, and he was under the influence. He was minority injured, due to the levels of his intoxication. I guess his whole body was loose when he crashed.

"Jake and I immediately flew home to Forks and we went to visit your parents. We were all reunited and damn it, Edward, going to your funeral was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. The funeral took place in our meadow in Forks, and that thought alone almost brought me to a breakdown. Everyone was grieving, as well as upset that we were reuniting under those circumstances. Rosalie gave a beautiful eulogy and told the story of how you two met— you came to her rescue and forced her bully to eat the cupcake he'd stolen from her off the ground, full of mud."

_Wait a second. How does she know that? I never told her the story of how I met Rosalie. _My head moves up fast to meet her eyes. She smirks, faintly, knowing that finally, I'm reacting. I can tell that this is the kind of reaction she wanted. She's probably tired of sounding like a lunatic. She keeps going. "And your father said, and I quote, "to you all, he was Edward, or _Eddie_, as most of his friends called him, but to us, he was just that same little boy that liked to pee in his mother's flower pots."

"Bella…I've _never_ told you that before…" I say, and she puts both her hands up in defense. _Oh, she's not done._

"It was at your funeral that I noticed a man standing out from everyone else. He was wearing a white tuxedo, and it seemed as though no one in the whole place could see him. I mean, the sun reflected off this guy, it was almost mesmerizing. I walked away from the service because I couldn't even bring myself to look at all of the people that were still in your life. I almost felt like I didn't belong there. I sat by myself until the service was over, berating myself with guilt and feeling the pain of never being able to see you again. After what seemed like forever, I walked back to the meadow where everyone had left. The only thing there was a pile of dirt on top of where your casket had been placed. I dropped to my knees beside it and decided to take it upon myself to apologize to you and let all of my guilt and frustrations out. When I got it all out, I was approached by this man, _Laurent_, where he introduced himself and said that he had come to pay his respects.

"He seemed creepy to me at first, but he was literally the kindest person I've ever met. His words were gentle, as was his touch. We talked about my reasoning for feeling the way I did, and to make a long story short, he asked me the question of if I had to do it all over again, would I do it. Like, if I had a second chance to make things right. I, of course, said I would. He made the comment that he had been watching me for quite some time, you too, and I freaked out. After he calmed me down, he explained that he was there to help me. He told me that I was the only one who could see him, so, my first thought was _wow, I'm talking to a crazy person_, and I told him I had to leave. I made a snide comment about him being an angel or something, and he said that it's what I could call him, although that's not what he would call himself. I probably could have handled the whole situation better, but with the emotional state I was in, you couldn't really blame me. I was walking away, and he said behind me "You'll see, Bella. Tomorrow morning when you wake up, things will be different." And Edward, do you know what morning I woke up with you in my arms?"

I look at her for a moment, almost unsure of my answer. For some reason, I feel like I've always known. I've always known that day specifically was a day that everything changed for us. I don't know why…but I guess now I do? "The morning that you…fell out of bed," I say, and I almost don't believe it. She nods, the look on her face is clearly pleading with me to not think that she's crazy.

"I couldn't believe it, Edward. The last thing I remember is going to sleep in your old room during the gathering at your parent's house after the funeral. I passed out early that evening, and I woke up in a room I had never seen before, and I felt you behind me. Needless to say, I freaked out." _Yeah, freaked out is an understatement. She screamed and flew out of bed._

"I couldn't understand why you kept asking me if I was really there. You…didn't just wake up from a bad dream," I say, remembering that morning and the conversation.

She shakes her head, confirming my statement. "Edward, you have to understand. That morning was a complete culture shock for me. That was the first time I had seen you in 5 years and I was in your bed, no less. I couldn't believe it, but what Laurent had said was true, and I barely had time to collect all of my thoughts, and then—"

"—and then you attacked me…3 times." I say with a shit-eating grin. _What? I'm a guy, I can't help myself._ "And," I continue, "you went out for lunch with Jacob…" I say, remembering this was the morning that Rosalie and Emmett had stayed the night.

"I went to go see Jake because I needed to know what else I'd missed out on. Do you know how hard it is to wake up to surroundings you've never seen before? I didn't know if this…transporting…thing happened to Jake too. Turns out he was left out of it, and then I find out that he's always been in love with me…" she says, and I just look at her. "It's a lot to process, Edward." I can sympathize with that. _But what does she mean about 'missing out'? I— _I stop my brain right there.

"So…" I clear my throat and try and see if I've got this straight, "you're saying that before that morning, you have no recollection of our life together?" She shakes her head with a sad expression on her face.

"I don't have a single memory of college with you, buying this apartment together or you getting your job working under Riley." I can't help but feel sad, but I understand. If it was the only way that we could be together, then I guess that works. I take a second to actually think about what she's told me. Some…angel…or something decided to send her to the life she'd have if she had stayed. But…she did! Even if she doesn't have memories of the past 5 years, I do. I remember the day I met her, all the way to this moment now. I remember taking her to prom, I even remember the long drive to Udub one morning where we got stuck in terrible traffic. I remember when I applied for my job under Riley, and when she came home ecstatic that she got her copy editing job at Crowley. She was there! I sigh and she watches me, probably wondering if I'm going to run out the door and leave her. Could we really live in a world where things like this really happen? I mean, what's next, vampires?

"Forgive me, Bella, it just seems a little hard to believe." As soon as I say that, her reasoning for wanting me to drive her to work that one day when she had hers finally makes sense to me. If I'm getting this straight, that would mean that to her, it was her first day and she didn't know where it was or what she even did. She had no idea about anything because her life in LA was different. Little did she know at the time, everything was the same, except it was based here in Seattle, not in Los Angeles. Same with Jacob's club as well.

"Edward, you have to believe that I'm not crazy. I just…I've been so happy being here with you and having a relationship with your sister again, and with everyone else. I haven't even called my father since I've been here. I have no idea what he's been up to!" I flash a smile at her. How has she not contacted her father yet? But more importantly, how does she not know about what's going on with Charlie? "You mean you haven't met his new wife?"

Her mouth flies open in surprise. "His what?! When did he get married?! Have I met her before? Who is she?!" I lean back, not wanting to get hit with anything. I'm sure my jaw is at least half way to the floor by now, because I wasn't expecting _that _kind of reaction.

"He married Sue Clearwater last year. You've met her, and you love her. You think she's a great match for your dad. You love that he's found someone to be happy with since your mother died." She calms down a bit and I know it's due to the mention of her mother. I take her hands in mine, and the look on her face isn't hard to read, in fact, it hasn't changed. I smile at her, and she's waiting for my diagnosis. I don't believe she's crazy, but I think that this is just a little to weird for me. Who knows, maybe I'll meet this guy one day. I decide to lighten the mood a bit and let her know in my own little way, that I believe her.

"Well, I mean…I guess this explains all the sex we've been having…" She guffaws, probably not expecting that comment. "After the reaction I just got, I can't believe that I'm actually about to say this, but…I believe you, Bella."

She just stares at me like I discovered a new element on the periodic table, like I cheated gravity, and cured cancer all in the same day. _Was she really expecting me to leave her on the grounds of me thinking she's nuts? _

"Bella, I just watched you freak out over your father being married. We visited him 2 months ago. We were at his wedding. I know you're not crazy. Any of the crazy you have left has no doubt been fucked out of you," I snicker at her attempt at hiding a moan.

I rest my hand on her leg, and it's her turn to sigh in relief. I need to let her know that I'm here, and not going anywhere. Sure, I may be a bit skeptical, but do you blame me?

"It's a lot to take in, and believe me, this is…some surreal shit, but we'll get through this. This is what I'm here for, Bella. I'm your partner, right?" She nods, pursing her lips together.

"But it all makes sense, you know…" I say, "because since that morning, I thought you were acting strange. I always got the feeling that something was up, that you were acting so…lost. It was like you didn't know who you even were anymore, and somehow it had happened overnight. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who noticed it, but I definitely thought something was up."

Her eyes then almost bug out of her head, as if she forgot something. "Edward, no one else can know about this. As much as I wish I could tell Alice or Rose, I can't. Jasper and Emmett can't know, and I'm not even going to tell Jake—" _Oh my god, Bella..._

"Well, no shit, Bella. Of all people, you know my sister would never be able to handle something like this. She'd be trying to convince me to take you to therapy. She'd even try and give me numbers of the best doctors in the country. God, she'd probably tell my father! We can't tell anybody this, Bella. No one would be able to handle the news without wanting to put you away, for it be 'for your own good', or otherwise. _Especially _my sister." She smiles wide, and I have to laugh at the fact that she thought she had to tell me that we can't tell anyone. _Geez, Bella, I'm not going to run around giving people incentive to lock my girlfriend up!_

"So, I guess this is our little secret, then?" She asks, interrupting my inner monologue.

"Yeah, Bella. We finally have ourselves a dirty little secret," I say and I wink at her. Sure, it's a lot to take in, but if what she's saying is in fact true, I'm glad it happened, because I can't imagine what she went through at my own funeral. The guilt and the pain would be too much to deal with.

We both sit back, clearly exhausted from our thoughts. I look over to her and she's almost about to fall back asleep. "Bella, why don't we go back to sleep? I think we both could benefit from it, don't you? Wanna take a nap?" She nods, capturing a yawn in her hand. I stand up with her and wrap her in a big hug, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella. You know that, right?" She nods against my chest and holds me. We walk back to the bedroom and we crawl under the sheets, her nuzzling into my chest. We're just about to fall asleep, a hairline away from unconsciousness when we're brought out of our peaceful slumber by my phone going off on the night table. Groaning, I reach over to answer, and I barely get my hello out when I hear my mother on the other end.

"I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMA!"

Frustrated, we both sit up. Bella yawns again, shaking her head at me.

"Guess we're not taking that nap after all, babe."

.

.

.

.

.

**There we have it, the secret is officially out, at least to the only person who could handle it. How are we feeling about Bella's confession? I know a lot of you were glad that she finally came out with it. Don't worry, it was my intention the whole time. I really didn't think I'd be able to carry on with this story having Bella keep this to herself. I've got a lot of stuff coming up for this story, so I hope you stick around for the ride!**

**And a big HELLO to those who have recently stumbled across this story, thank you for following! Like I said before, I have another story up my sleeve, so I'll let you guys know when it's out, and you can check it out if you're interested!**

**One last thing, I've been reading a lot of stories on here lately, so I thought I'd recommend a few to you guys. I'm completely addicted to these stories, and the authors are just fantastic!**

**His Apartment by DayDreamingFairy (This is my #1 right now, I can't get enough of it!)  
A Lesson in Love by virginalvampire  
In Your Room by LayAtHomeMom  
Cherry Sours by rubyblue9696  
Countdown to Combustion by bkhchica  
All We Are by SarahYoungEun**

**That's all for now, thanks for reading and see you next time! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Reviews just may push me to post quicker!**

**xo**


	12. Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal

**-CHAPTER 12-**

**To avoid any confusion, time is moving along to coincide with the holiday season.**

**BPOV**

The past month has gone by so fast, I don't know where it went. First thing I know, I'm thrusted into a new world that I'm not used to, the next it's the holiday season and here I am, shopping with Rose and Alice. It's a good thing Tanya gave me the afternoon off, and I have the next 2 weeks off too. Edward still has to work, although he's probably just having a few drinks in Riley's office. All three of us have literally scratched our heads, wondering what we can get our men; _even_ Alice. Edward and I agreed, much to his dismay, that we weren't going to spoil each other with presents. We finally agreed that we'd get each other one present each. Though I can say that Edward deserves some kind of medal, after dealing with my clueless ass for the past little while. A few weeks back, Jake decided to throw a huge party. What was the theme? _The College Daze. _Who was invited? UDub alumni. One can only imagine how awkward it is to be greeted by people I've never seen. Edward was a great help, though, knowing how clueless I was. He'd help me out in situations where I'd be standing there with a blank expression, while others were laughing at things that I was evidently present for.

I will say one thing, Edward's been such a great sport. There was a part of me that actually thought he was going to leave me, or just lock me up. Not that I don't have faith in him, or us, it's just…how does someone believe something like that? Most of the nights that Edward and have I stayed in, he explained a lot of things that I missed out on. I just wish I lived it all and had a memory of it. The other night was interesting enough when Edward told me that I punched out his ex girlfriend.

_"I did what?!" _

_"Yeah, you punched Lauren in the face," he says with a proud grin._

_"When and why did I do this?!" I ask, genuinely shocked._

_"Before I tell you, may I just say how adorable it is when I tell you about how you were in College? You're always surprised at everything, especially how I told you I fucked you on my asshole professor's desk once," he says, my blush quickly creeping to my cheeks. "But yeah, Lauren came to Seattle to visit relatives or something, and she ran into us at a bar on campus. She started talking to me, and I could tell she was trying to get with me, but I wouldn't even entertain the thought. You came back from the bathroom and saw her, and after uttering a few death threats, she said 'I can't believe you went from me to her. Bella's so average, just like her dead mother was.' and then, well…you broke her nose."_

_A triumphant smile appear on my face and he smirks and adds, "she needed another nose job after, by the way."_

_I pump my fist in the air and he laughs out loud to the ceiling. "I kind of enjoy this though, Bella. I feel almost like…we're getting to know each other for the first time or something." _

_"I'm surprised you took it the way you did, to be honest," I admit, still embarrassed and hoping Edward isn't going to lock me up._

_"You know what? Like I said before, it was a lot to take in. It's not something I was expecting, but I refuse to believe that you're crazy. Except for, you know, being crazy in love with me," he says, smiling wide, showing me all of his perfect teeth. "How can I not believe you? I tell you that your father got married and you almost come jumping at me, wondering when it happened. I keep telling you all of these things that happened in the last five years, and when I tell you, you're taking it all in for the first time. It's quite surreal, but who am I to say that this kind of thing isn't possible anyways? Besides, if you had never gone through this, you wouldn't have me today, Bella." _

_I said nothing, but in that moment I swear I fell in love with him all over again. And that moment ultimately led to us having sex on the couch again._

"I don't know…I mean, I guess it's kind of cute," Rosalie says, pulling me out of my thoughts. Rose, Alice and I have been at the mall for hours, Christmas shopping. "I just feel suffocated sometimes, you know? Like I'd really love it if I could get up to get my own glass of water without Emmett jumping at the opportunity. I know he's only trying to be helpful, but then my hormones get the better of me and I yell at him, causing him to turn into a submissive little puppy and go sit down. Then I feel bad and apologize, and he continues doing it, then I get mad again, and so on."

Alice giggles. "Hun, you know he's only trying to be helpful. He wants to be there for everything. He has no idea what you're going through, physically, so he wants to make it as comfortable as possible."

"I know, Alice, I'm just—"

"Pregnant?" I cut her off. Rose chuckles and nods with a shrug. "Yep, I'm just pregnant."

We walk by a lingerie shop, and Alice stops us with her arm. "Guys, why are we so stupid? We've been shopping for hours, and we obviously should have stopped here. Why didn't I think to bring us here?"

"Oh, please, Alice, don't beat yourself up about it," I say sarcastically. She grins like the Cheshire Cat and strolls right in, officially on the hunt.

Rosalie squeals in delight and I look over at her with a raised eyebrow. She notices my blank stare and feigns innocence. "What? I'm not _that_ pregnant, I'm barely even showing! I can still have fun! Besides…Emmett loves me in red."

I roll my eyes as she drags me into the shop. Alice looks like an expert, roaming through the racks of corsets, bustiers and babydolls, while Rosalie goes to the small section labeled "Maternity". I, of course, get pulled around the store by Alice, and even the shop owners can tell how much I don't want to be there. Don't get me wrong, they have great stuff. But, my god, how am I ever going to pull this off?

"B, you have amazing curves," Alice says, interrupting my thoughts. "You should be able to show off some skin now and then."

"I have, and I did, if you forget—"

"Okay, you wore boy shorts and a football jersey. Congratulations, you've graduated to the level of giving 12 year old boys their first boners. Really, Bella? You need to wear something that Edward will definitely never forget. It's Christmas, after all," she replies, and I can't argue that. We walk around as she holds up a few outfits and I scrunch up my nose and shake my head.

"You know you have to be a little more open-minded and I'm going to lose my patience eventually," she mutters, loud enough for me to still hear.

"I don't know, Al. This doesn't feel like this is the place for me, you know? I don't feel comfortable here. I mean, I do, but I really don't think I'd be comfortable wearing any of this stuff." I argue.

"It doesn't have to be comfortable, Bella. God knows it's not going to stay on long anyways," she wiggles her eyebrows at me and I narrow my eyes at her.

"You know what I mean, Alice." She nods, understanding, "That doesn't mean we're not looking for something for _you_ though," I say. Her face lights up, and she begins her prowl to find something for Jasper. _Jackpot, the spotlight will be off me for a while. Thank you, baby Jesus._

"What does Jasper even like? I'll help you find something," I offer, looking through the plethora of reds and blacks, knowing full well that Alice is definitely not one for those colours. She's more of a pink and lavender kind of girl. Now Rose, on the other hand…

"Jasper likes pastel colours; he likes girls who look soft and fragile," Rosalie interrupts, coming back to where we are. She sits down on the comfy sofa and shrugs. "They don't have anything good in their maternity section. It's a shame, too. It's like they think that pregnant women _want_ to look like old spinsters in lingerie. They don't even look like they'd look sexy _on_." Alice scoffs and I can't even stifle a giggle.

After more digging, I hear Alice gasp, only seeing a flash of her hair fly by me, sauntering towards the wall. She stares up at the article of "clothing" in awe, as if the mannequin is her genuine true calling. After a sigh or two, she asks a lady if she can try it on and she races behind the curtain of the changing stall. "This is it, it's the one! It's absolutely gorgeous!" And Alice isn't wrong. She slides the curtain open, causing Rose and I to gasp. The chemise she's wearing barely drapes down far enough to cover her ass. It's pale pink and made of satin. Her breasts are covered by a thin layer of ivory coloured lace, completed with pink bows down the front.

"My god, Alice, it's fucking gorgeous! That's so perfect for Jasper, he's going to fall out of his chair," Rose says.

"Allie, you have to buy it," I say, and she nods excitedly with a small clap.

Rose is next, feeling somewhat discouraged because of the fact that she's expecting. "I just don't want to _feel_ pregnant, you know? Like, just for one night, I want to just be Fiery and Feisty Rosalie," she says and I shake my head at her.

"Rose, you'll always be that to Emmett. And the fact that you're pregnant and glowing with his child is going to make the experience all the more better for him," I explain, as Alice continues, hard at work, digging through racks.

"I know, Bella, I know…I'm just—"

"Pregnant?" I repeat my answer from earlier and she smirks.

"I just want something not too flashy, nothing that will make my belly the focal point," Rose continues.

"I think that you _should _emphasize your belly," Alice says, not looking up, "just like Bella said, that would make it even more of an experience for Emmett." Rosalie shakes her head and we both sigh in defeat, knowing we're not going to win this. More digging upon digging, and I come across a flash of red. I hold up the garment in front of me and all I can see is Rosalie in it.

"Oh my god, Rose…what about this? I know it's more of a slip, but I think this could work?" My statement turns into a question, and Rosalie turns to face me, setting her eyes on what I'm holding. It's red satin, and ends mid thigh, with black lace around the bust, as well as the bottom edges. The straps are so thin that if they weren't dark, you wouldn't know they're there. Knowing Emmett, he'd tear the damn thing to shreds in less than 10 seconds, which I know is exactly what Rosalie wants.

"Wow…that's…so beautiful! A slip should do me just fine, actually. It's not too flashy, and it looks comfortable as hell." She too tries it on, and we marvel at how it compliments her curves and brings out her inner fire— let me just state that _Alice_ was the one who said that last thing. We reach the line, which thankfully isn't too long. While waiting, Rosalie passes a table of stockings and goes to choose a pattern. Her eyes settle on a set of thigh-highs, that come attached with lace suspenders that end in a band wrapped around the waist. An evil and delicious grin spreads across her face, which means that she's obviously playing out the things Emmett is going to do with her. She looks up to meet my eyes, and she smiles and nods at me. _Kind of gross, though. I mean…it's Emmett. _**_(A/N: Although not gross at all because Kellan Lutz is sexy as fuck and I love him to pieces. Had to say it.)_**

"We really need to find something perfect and sexy for Bella though," Alice says, about to purchase her items.

"Alice, really, it's okay. Edward will love me in anything. Just wrap me up in a big red bow, as I am, and he'll be happy that way." Like clockwork, a lightbulb goes off in Alice's head as she snaps her head up.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," she responds, eliciting a wide-eyed look from Rosalie, who's holding thigh-high tights. Rose looks at the tights in her hand, to the table of coloured lace panties to her right, and back to me. "Bella…you're a fucking genius!" She hurries over to the table, grabs a pair of red lace panties and tosses them, and the tights, at me. They hurry to pay for their items, and I mine, and Rose grabs my hand and drags me quickly out of the shop, Alice not too far behind.

"Rosalie! What are you doing? Where are we going?!" I ask nervously, Rose not letting go of her vice grip on my wrist.

"Bella, we're going to find you a big red bow to go with those panties you just bought. And Edward's going to unwrap _you _for Christmas."

Suddenly the nervous thoughts in my head get louder, and only Alice's giggles behind us are providing the soundtrack.

_God help me._

* * *

Everything is purchased and ready to go. While waiting for the girls to be done in the bathroom, my phone goes off; an unknown number appears on the screen.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hi Bella, it's Charlotte." _Oh, random._

"Hello Charlotte, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks, I trust everything is well with you?" I can sense the nervousness in her tone.

"Yes, everything's great, just finishing off my Christmas shopping, actually."

"Great, great. Um, I hope you don't mind that I'm calling, but I was wondering if you could help me with something?" I nod, although she obviously can't see me.

"Sure, not a problem, what can I do for you?" I ask, intrigued.

"Um, you mentioned that your father is a cop, right?" I narrow my eyebrows at her question.

"Yes, that's right, he's the Chief of Police in Forks."

"Well, I was wondering if he would be able to track…someone down for me?" She hesitates for a second.

I snicker. "Trying to track down a crazy ex boyfriend of yours, Charlotte?" I say, and she laughs.

"Something like that. I can't really say anything more, it's kind of a…secret…I guess."

"Sure," I say, "I guess he could do that. Do you want me to ask my dad and get back to you, or would you rather call him yourself?"

"Well, I could go to Forks myself and speak with him directly, if that would work. I'd rather not do anything over the phone, you know?" From the sounds going on in the background, I can tell that she's in the car.

I nod again. "Alright, what I can do is give my father a call and tell him you're coming. I'm sure he'd have no problem helping you, especially if I tell him it's a favor for me."

"Wow, thank you so much, Bella, really."

"Not a problem, Charlotte. What I'll do is give him a call, and now that I have your number, I'll text you and let you know when I've spoken to him. Sound good?"

"Yes, yes! Thank you, Bella, a thousand times, thank you. You have yourself a Merry Christmas, and I hope to see you again soon!" I smile.

"You too, Charlotte. Talk to you soon!"

I hang up and ponder for a second who she would need to track down. As Rosalie and Alice come out of the bathroom, it's as if a lightbulb goes off in my head.

* * *

**EPOV**

"I don't know where she could possibly be," Riley says, scratching his head. There's really nothing to do at work, so Riley and I are having some scotch in his office. "All Charlotte said was that she was going away for a few days. She didn't tell me where she was even going, and I'm kind of worried, even though she told me not to worry and that she'd be back."

"Then don't worry," I suggest with a shrug, "she'll be back."

"Yeah, I suppose. I just love that girl like she's my own daughter, you know? Sometimes I have to remember that she's not actually my kid." He chuckles lightly, but I know he's worried. "By the way, Edward, you know I love _you_, kid, but why the hell are you even here?" I arch a questioning eyebrow at him.

"What I mean is, why are you working today? Didn't I give you the afternoon off?" He scolds me.

"You did, but as usual, I didn't listen. I wanted to get a few things finished before I left for the holidays," I tell him, and he shakes his head.

"You remind me so much of myself when I was your age. I hated leaving things and I always wanted things to be finished. But even more, I hated not working…" I know where his thoughts are heading, so I opt to change the subject.

"So, what can I get you for Christmas, old man?"

"Eddie, please, forget about it," he says, waving a hand of dismissal at me. "Don't worry about me. Although I did get you something, if that's okay."

He pulls an envelope out of his top drawer and I sigh and shake my head. "Riley, you didn't have to do that—"

"Oh shut up, Edward, here, take it before I hit you over the head with it." I snicker at him and reach over the table to take the envelope from his hand. I open it, and it seems to be a document of some sort. I immediately freeze as I read the words _Biers & Cullen_ on the dotted line. _…What?_

"You…Riley, what is this, exactly?" I can barely get out the words. "Is this what I think it is?"

He beams at me, as I stare at him in disbelief. "I'm making you a partner, Edward. You've more than earned it, and let's face it, I'm not going to be around forever. Someone has to take over my company when I'm gone."

I suddenly feel my heart beating in my ears, and I can't even gather the words to say to him. "Riley…I don't know what to say—"

"Say you'll do it, Edward." I smile like a mindless idiot and he laughs.

"Th-thank you, Riley. Really…_thank you!_" I stand up and move over to him, giving him a handshake in which he turns into a hug.

"The only thing, Edward, is that this hasn't gone public yet. Please don't say anything until after the New Year." I nod, still in a daze.

"I never had kids, Edward, and you're the closest thing I've ever had to a son. I can't even imagine how proud Carlisle must be of you."

"Riley, I have to do something for you for Christmas. After what you've done for me…this, _and_ my Christmas bonus…please, at least let me invite you to dinner at my parent's house, everyone will be there," I try, but he objects.

"Thank you, Edward, but I'd rather just stay in my own little bubble for Christmas. I've never been big on holidays anyway, honestly." I nod in defeat. I hate that I can never give this man anything. "Though, I've been meaning to ask you, what are you doing for Bella for Christmas?" We both sit back down.

I sigh. "I wanted to spoil her rotten but she wasn't having any of it. I argued with her for days, and she said that we're not going to go crazy and we're only exchanging one gift." Riley laughs.

"Have you considered…you know…proposing to her?" He asks and I shake my head. Not that I don't want to, I just think it'd be too soon for her, with everything that's gone on in the past little while. I don't want to overwhelm the poor girl. Not that I can tell Riley _that_.

"I feel like it's a bit too soon. We know we're going to eventually, but I want us to be at the right spot in our lives. Don't get me wrong though, the thought has seriously crossed my mind."

Riley takes a sip of his drink, eyeing me. "I know I've said this many times before, but, hold onto that girl, Edward. She's a good one."

I smile at his words as I take a sip as well. "She's my forever."

* * *

**BPOV**

"Edward! Bella! So glad you could make it!" _As if we'd miss Esme and Carlisle's annual Christmas Eve dinner_. She wraps her arms around Edward, giving him multiple kisses on his face. Of course, this is the first time I've seen Esme or Carlisle since my universe has been altered. Yeah, that's what I'm starting to call it. Edward said it sounds about right. He prepared me beforehand, again, on what I've missed out on. They haven't changed at all. Esme is still that same warm hearted mother that she is, completely in love with her sons and daughter. Carlisle is still the same kind man who wants nothing more than the best for his children; he still has that smile about him that makes you feel accepted.

Of course this would be the point in the day where I make an ass of myself. Esme turns to me to give me a hug and launch myself into her arms, surprising her. I'm almost on the verge of tears because I've missed her so much. I squeeze her, missing the feeling of having a mother figure in my life. After a moment of freeing up, she loosens and hugs me back and gives me a kiss. Carlisle meets us at the door and I launch myself into him, causing the same reaction. They exchange a quick glance, and I look at Edward, who shakes his head with a smile.

Entering the house, we see Rose and Emmett, as well as Alice and Jasper. Having us all in the same house really makes me feel like we're a family. Carlisle and Esme have a certain aura about them that makes you feel accepted as apart of the family right away. Never letting go of my hand, Edward leads me to the kitchen, where Esme is continuing to prepare dinner. If there's anything I love, it's Esme's Christmas dinner.

"Esme, do you need help with anything?" I ask politely. If there's anything that my mother taught me while growing up, it's to always lend a helping hand, whether it's needed or not.

She smiles and shakes her head. "That's okay, dear. You go make yourself at home while I talk to Edward for a minute or two."

I smile sweetly at her, leaving to join Emmett and Rose, who are yet again, arguing.

"Baby, I know you're being nice and you want to help, but please, I'm begging you…you're suffocating me." Rose says, as I enter the room. The conversation stops, and I get a smile from the both of them.

"Hey there Babybell!" Emmett says, wrapping his bear-like arms around me, lifting me off the ground.

"Emmett…_okay_…" I get out, and he puts me down.

"Sorry, Bells. I can't do that to Rosie right now, so all I have is you. Alice would kung fu my ass to death if I wrinkled any of her perfectly pressed clothing," he says with a roll of his eyes.

"Do you know how much time I put into my designs?" Alice whines, coming into the room with Jasper behind her. "Seriously, Emmett, do I come into your work shop and start cleaning it?"

Emmett cringes. "I'd kill you. Everything in that place is a mess, but it's my organized mess!"

"See? Leave my clothes alone!" _Sibling banter, gotta love it. _

As Jasper opens a bottle of wine, I walk to the kitchen to get a few glasses, when I overhear Edward and Esme talking. I feel guilty, but I stop to listen when I hear my name.

"Is Bella okay, Edward?" Esme asks, stirring her famous homemade gravy._ My god, I can smell it from here._

"She's great, mom, why do you ask?" Edward says, chopping carrots.

"She's just…different. I mean, she used to just walk in casually and throw her bags down, per se. This time she's so…_hesitant_, nervous almost. What's going on?"

"Nothing, mom. She just missed you guys, that's all," Edward says, his back to me.

"Edward, I may be a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. I know _something's _going on, but you don't have to tell me. Before Renee died, she asked me to make sure Bella's taken care of. I'm just making sure she's okay. If you say that she is, then I believe you. I'm just letting you know that I noticed something off." There's a sudden lump in my throat at the mention of my mother. They really did become close after Edward and I started dating.

As Esme continues to stir, Edward must feel my presence as he turns around slightly and looks at me. He smiles and winks, and turns back around to the chopping board.

"Bella's great, mom. She's always been great."

I take that as my cue to walk into the kitchen as if I hadn't been listening. "Sorry to interrupt, I just needed a few wine glasses from the cabinet," I say, and Esme says nothing. Edward grins at me, and I can tell that Esme knew that I was there the whole time. Edward takes the opportunity to save me, taking one for the team. He swallows and then elbows her lightly.

"So, mom, are you excited to be a grandmother?" Her face lights up and she squeals and starts taking about turning the second spare room into a nursery…and I take this as my opportunity to leave the kitchen.

I re-enter the living room as Alice is asking Rose about baby names.

"I don't really know, actually. It's far too early to even be thinking about names when we don't even know the sex yet," Rosalie says.

"When will you find that out?" Jasper inquires.

"Mid to late February," she says, "so for right now, I figure we should wait to discuss names. Besides, Emmett and I both decided that we want a boy."

Carlisle chuckles. "Well, Rose, what you decide you want and what you get may in fact be two different things." Emmett cringes at the thought of having a girl.

"I just don't know what I would do with a girl," Emmett says, and everyone laughs, as he realizes what he just said.

"Believe me, son. When the time comes, and if it's a girl, you'll know exactly what to do and you'll fall in love with her," Carlisle says, wrapping his arm around Alice, as she leans into him.

Esme announces that dinner is ready, and we all gather around the table as a family. We talk about everything, from the baby on the way, to Edward's job. Jasper talks about wanting to see out a new career. As much as he loves what he does, being a bartender and nightly musician isn't something he wants to do forever, seeing as one day he and Alice are going to get married and have children. He can't work nights if that happens. Alice is clearly smitten with Jasper's explanation, as her pupils almost form into heart shapes. Emmett still loves his job, fixing cars is just something he's always been good at. Rosalie can't wait to open up her restaurant. By the time Edward's finished building and renovating, Rosalie should be just about having the baby.

We all receive our gifts from Carlisle and Esme, and we stay for a while before we all decide that it's time to go, leaving a bit early because of the drive home. Most of the ride home is silent, and my thoughts lead to my mother and how much I actually miss her. I remember the last time I saw her in the hospital. The cancer had spread so far that Carlisle told us ahead of time that there wasn't much he could do. All my mother could do was spend her last days with my father and I, and we made life as comfortable as we could.

_"Bella, please don't be sad, my love. Be happy for me, I'm not going to be in pain anymore."_

_"But mom, what am I supposed to do without you? How can I—_"

_"Isabella Marie Swan, you are going to be strong like the woman I raised you to be."_

_"Who's going to be there when I get married? When I have my children?"_

_"I will be there, sweetheart. Not physically, but I will be there. There will always be a part of me in you, and in your children. Edward will take care of you, I know he will. I know you're only in high school, but I already know—you are each other's forever."_

_"I can't believe I actually have to say goodbye to you, mom."_

_"You'll never have to, baby. I'll always be here." She rested her hand on my heart, as a tear rolled down her cheek. _

_"I…I love you, mom." I sobbed, and she cried harder. My father stood at the head of the bed across from me, holding her hand with tears rolling down his face._

_"My baby girl. It's okay. You have Esme now. I had you for as long as I could, now let Esme have the rest of your life. Can you promise me one thing, Bella?" She asks and I nod. "Don't be afraid to immerse yourself in the things you love, and take me with you, wherever you go."_

_Standing over her, my father and I watched my mother become progressively weaker, as she finally stilled. She went peacefully, and with a smile on her face._

_My cries became greater as my father bowed his head and rushed to my side to grab me before I fell. We held each other for many minutes, until Carlisle came in with Edward, who held me while I sobbed into his chest. Esme came in behind him, rushing to console Charlie._

The hardest thing I ever had to do was say goodbye to my mother.

Wiping the tear that rolls down my cheek, I revert my thoughts to the awkward Christmas dinner I had with my father last night.

_"Bella! So good to see you again!" We're greeted at the front door by, who I can only assume, is Sue Clearwater. Well, I guess Sue Swan now. Edward showed me pictures of their wedding, and awkwardly enough, pictures of him and I at said wedding. _

_"Hi…it's great to see you again, Sue," I say as I hug her back. She hugs Edward as well, and we all go inside. My father, as per usual, is watching his football highlights on TV and holding a beer. He hears us come inside and he bolts right up to greet us. _

_"Well, Hells Bells," he yells as he pulls me in for a tight hug. He releases me long enough to hug and greet Edward, and it's not long before his arms are back around me._

_"How are you, kid? Everything alright? I wanna hear everything," he says, "but I wanna have a smoke. Come outside with me?" I nod, leaving Sue and Edward inside to catch up._

_"So," he lights up his cigarette and continues, "you two engaged yet?" My father, always to the point._

_"No, dad, we're not engaged," I smile._

_"He didn't knock you up, did he?" I playfully smack his arm and he chuckles. "No, dad. I'm not pregnant either."_

_"So you mean to tell me that there's nothing interesting going on with you?" I shake my head and shrug. He sighs._

_I take a second to look inside and I see Edward and Sue talking by the fireplace. I take in how beautiful she is, how perfect she is for my dad. She's tanned, like most residents from Forks and La Push. Her long black hair is pin straight and her smile is infectious. I smirk at the embarrassing Christmas sweater she's wearing, and take note of how happy and comfortable she is in my father's house. She looks just as happy as my mother once did._

_"Bella," I look back to my dad, who obviously saw me studying her. "I know she'll never be your mother, and she's not trying to take her place." I say nothing, and he keeps going. "I really do love her, Bella. I mean, after your mother…I was so alone. You left for school and all I had were my fishing trips with Billy and my Sunday Night Football. I stated losing interest in my own job, and you know how much I love my job. Sue came along and it was like everything was right back on track. I found myself again. I'll always love your mother, Bella, but with Sue…she really helped me heal, you know?" A tear rolls down my face as I nod in approval. I step forward and wrap my arms around his neck._

_"I love her, Bella, I do…" I nod into his shoulder, and the rest of the time we spend outside is spent in silence; his silence being relief and mine being acceptance._

_He flicks his cigarette and before we go inside, he lightly grabs my wrist. _

_"Give her a chance, Bella, for me?" he whispers, and I nod with a smile as we go back inside._

"Bella? Baby?" Edward gets my attention and I snap out of my reminiscence. "We're home, are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking…" I mumble as I step out of the car and make my way inside in complete silence.

I get to the living room and Edward stops me, grabbing my wrist. I turn to face him, and tears are evident on my face.

"Baby, what is it? What's wrong?" He brings his hands to my face, wiping my tears with his thumbs, and kissing where the tears had fallen. "Tell me."

"I've just been thinking about my mother, that's all. I really miss her. I guess what Esme said tonight triggered it, and I'm just being stupid now."

"No, Bella, don't feel stupid. It's perfectly fine that you're missing your mother." He hugs me, and I instantly feel at ease. After a long moment, I calm down, and Edward releases his hold on me.

"I'll tell you what— how about we change into our Pj's, turn the lights off, drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies?"

I smile and nod. "That sounds perfect."

_There's no other way I'd want to spend Christmas eve._

* * *

After a mini marathon of _Christmas Vacation_, _The Holiday_, and _Elf, _Edward decides that _Die Hard_ is a good choice to be next. I argue that it's not a Christmas movie, but he says that since the movie takes place during Christmas, it qualifies. Although it makes me laugh, considering the last time we tried watching Die Hard, we didn't make it through half before we were having hot hot hot sex. Images of that night go through my head and I suddenly get really warm. I can't hide the smile on my face as I remember how I got him where I wanted him with a simple jersey.

_Technically, it's Christmas Eve…maybe I should give him his present. I wonder how he'd react to 'me' being his present. Or maybe I should have gotten him a real gift, something tangible, meaningful. To wrap myself up as a gift is kind of lame, now that I think about it. Why did I listen to Rose? She's pregnant, for god sakes._

"Bella? I don't mean to interrupt your inner monologue but I would love to know what's going inside that pretty little head of yours," Edward says, looking at me with a smirk. _That goddamn smirk._

"I was just wondering if I should give you your present now or not," I say, batting my eyelashes not-so-innocently. He arches an eyebrow at me, intrigued.

"I'm thinking that maybe you should- just my opinion," he replies, and I know that naughty Edward is out to play. The arm he has around me pulls me in tighter, and his lips find their way to my neck. _That's it, I'm toast. I'm a goner. _I playfully try and pull away, but the more I do, the more he follows, causing him to land on top of me on the couch. _This poor couch. _His lips continue to assault me, and any thought I ever had about anything leaves my head. His perfect lips find their way to the center of my chest, right in between my breasts and I lose every ability to function. His breathing becomes heavier and I feel his excitement against my body, sending me into a frenzy of delicious shivers, mixed with a splash of heat.

I finally push him off and excuse myself, as he makes no effort to adjust himself. He just watches me leave and, probably not patiently at all, waits for me to come back.

I grab the bag I hid under the bathroom counter and start to get ready. My pajama pants and tank top come off, as well as the cotton underwear I have on. I stand in the bathroom completely naked, staring at myself for a moment, as most women do. I pull on the lace panties first, followed by the thigh high tights that Rose forced on me. Next is the bow that Rose found me. I will admit, this was a fun idea. The bow is kind of a bitch to get on, but once I clasp the back together, I really do look like a christmas present. The last thing I need is the last thing I want to wear, ever— the death trap thigh high heels that Alice forced on me. _They'll be sexy as hell, and make your legs run for miles, _she said. I touch up my makeup just a little bit, and I add a splash of flavoured lipgloss. I stare at myself, acknowledging how good I actually look, and make my way out of the bathroom. I peek out from the bathroom and Edward still has his eyes fixed on the TV. _Wow, this is like deja vu from the last time I did this. _

"Edward?" I call out, "I need you to go into the kitchen, please. And close your eyes. Don't open them until I tell you to, okay? I'm bringing your present out now, and it's kinda big," I tell him, just to throw him off a bit.

"Uh, okay. But Bella, you really didn't have to—"

"I know, just please go stand in the kitchen, okay?" He gets up, and goes into the kitchen, his back facing me and the open space above the kitchen counter. _I figure that the best way to do this would be to stand in front of the Christmas tree, where all the lights are, right? _I breathe deep, and I realize that I'm nervous and shaking. But most definitely in a good and excited way. My pulse quickens with anticipation, only because I know how he's going to react.

"Okay, baby, you can come out now, but keep your eyes closed." He comes out, eyes still closed. He purses his lips in anticipation. "Open your eyes, Edward," I say with a smirk.

He opens his eyes, adjusting to the lights illuminating in the living room, and he sets his eyes on me.

"Merry Christmas, baby," I purr, as his jaw hits the floor. His eyes go wide as they roam over my body, resting on the bow. His dark gaze is making me feel completely vulnerable…and _sexy_. I love the way his gaze makes me feel. One look from him makes me feel completely alive.

It's not long before he stalks towards me, his fingers twitching and itching to touch me.

.

.

.

.

.

**What do we think, do we like? I'm not 100% happy with how the chapter turned out, but c'est la vie.**

**I know, I'm a complete cockblock, right? In my defense, I wanted to get this out as quickly as I could, and I knew that if I wrote the lemon, it would take longer. I've been so busy with Christmas shopping and working that I had zero time to update this. I am going to try my hardest to update the rest of the Christmas chapter tomorrow after work. It may be on Boxing Day, but we'll see how it goes. And can anyone guess what Charlotte's up to? I tried making it obvious without completely giving it away. I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

**The polyvore link for the girls' lingerie outfits are on my profile.**

**Reviews make me happy, especially around Christmas ;) and a****s always, thanks for reading, and see you next time!**

**xo**


	13. Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal Pt 2

**-CHAPTER 13-**

**I'm not gonna lie to you, this chapter is really one long lemon— well, okay, 70% is, at least. A long lemon for all you awesome people who have been reviewing and messaging me kind things. And…I mean, let's be real, this fic is rated M/NC-17 for a reason, folks! ;) **

* * *

_"Okay, baby, you can come out now, but keep your eyes closed." He comes out, eyes still closed. He purses his lips in anticipation. "Open your eyes, Edward," I say with a smirk._

_He opens his eyes, adjusting to the lights illuminating in the living room, and he sets his eyes on me._

_"Merry Christmas, baby," I purr, as his jaw hits the floor. His eyes go wide as they roam over my body, resting on the bow. His dark gaze is making me feel completely vulnerable…and sexy. I love the way his gaze makes me feel. One look from him makes me feel completely alive._

_It's not long before he stalks towards me, his fingers twitching and itching to touch me._

"This…this is what you were doing in the bathroom?" He squeaks, sounding like a 12 year old boy again.

"Well, yeah, Edward…I had to wrap your present," I say with a shrug. His shocked expression quickly changes again, into a man on a mission.

"Bella…do you have any idea what you do to me?" He asks huskily, as his eyes go the darkest I've ever seen them. His mouth is now only a mere breath away from mine. I say nothing, and swallow hard. He continues to stand still, hands still in his pockets, while his eyes are studying my entire body. He knows what his eyes do to me, which is exactly why he's not touching me. He wants to enjoy this and memorize every curve of my body. Every time he blinks it's as if he's taking a mental picture. Finally, I find my voice.

"Do you know what _you _do to _me _when you look at me like that?" He blinks a few times, still not moving.

"What you're wearing is absolutely sinful…and _delicious_," he replies as his eyes glaze over. The glow of the fireplace and lights of the tree make his face look undeniably perfect. If I could take a picture of this moment, I would. He looks me up and down once again, before moving to the table to grab his phone.

"Sorry baby, but I need a picture of you like this." I bite my lip nervously as he snaps the picture. He mutters the word _perfect_ as he looks the picture over and tosses his phone on the couch behind me. I've never been one for pictures, but evoking that reaction from him is definitely alright with me.

"And why did you need a picture?" He smirks at me before answering.

"Because when you're not around, I need a good picture of you to jerk off to." I laugh lightly, but his piercing stare and mischievous grin don't change. _Oh, he's not joking._

"Well, Mr. Cullen, aren't you going to open your present?" I ask rhetorically. I stick my thumbs in the waist of my red lace panties, running my thumbs across my skin as I go. He watches me, looking like a starved man ready to devour and consume me whole. I look up at him through my long lashes with a devious grin while I move one of my hands to the massive bulge in his pants, cupping him tightly.

He groans out inaudible words as he grabs my face and slams my lips onto his, hard. I moan loudly into the kiss as our tongues fight for dominance. I give in and open my mouth to him as my pulse quickens very fast. That, combined with the loss of oxygen, is causing my head to spin. His hands roam wildly over my body— the skin of my waist, my stomach and back down to grip my ass as if his life depended on it, eliciting a delicious squeal from me. He finally pulls away and runs his thumb over my swollen red lips. Breathing heavy, he grabs me and lifts me up while I wrap my legs around him. Our kissing starts again as he moves to go to the couch, but I moan in protest and he stops. "Bedroom," is all I have to say before he carries me to our bed.

He lays me down carefully, kissing all down my neck and back up to my face. His hands are running all over my body as he starts grinding himself on me on all the right spots. His kisses and touches are setting my soul on fire. I know Edward likes being in control for the most part, and I certainly have no issue with that, but this is _his_ present— tonight is about him, _not_ me. I gently push him off me and get up, standing above him. He looks at me, confused.

"Edward, tonight is about you, not me," he tries interrupting, but I raise my hand for him to let me finish. "I know, Edward, but this is for you. Just enjoy it…please?" He smirks and sits up on his knees, wrapping his arms around my waist, his head lying on my chest. When Alice and Rose found me a proper bow that would fit, Alice had to make an alteration on it. It's literally just a red decorative bow; Alice attached the bow to a thin red bandeau and made a clasp in the back so it could be worn as a bra. And in typical pixie fashion, I was dragged to the salon where they did my nails, trimmed my split ends and waxed every hair I had from the waist down. Edward's head is resting on my chest, listening to my heart. My hands go to his hair, running my fingers through it, causing him to purr like a kitten. _Cue my giggling._

He looks up at me with a beaming smile. He kisses my collar bone, then all over my chest, above my covered breasts. With shaky hands, he reaches around the back of the bandeau, resting the palms of his hands the clasp, but not actually undoing it. I moan internally, not wanting to seem selfish, but my god, Edward's a tease. He looks up at me again, and his gaze is intense. His eyes are almost watering, and I can see the love he has for me. _Swoon._

"I love you, Bella," he says, causing my heart to thump twice as fast. "I'm going to love you forever…and I need you to know that." My eyes water at his declaration and I can feel his love for me radiating off of him. _Lame, right? Ugh he turns me into such a girl sometimes. _I smile as he ghosts his fingers over the clasp.

"I love you too, Edward, and I'm so thankful that you're in my life again. I couldn't handle being without you and I'm so sorry—"

"Baby," he gently grabs my chin and holds me still, looking into my eyes. "You have nothing to apologize for. I have no memory of what went on and as far as I know, you've always been here. I just need you to let it go and just…_love me_. Can you do that?" I nod and he kisses me, my knees almost giving out.

"Always," I confirm, and he drops his head to kiss the tops of my breasts, where my cleavage is clearly showing. He finally undoes the clasp and tosses the bow behind him, and I'm revealed to him. Every time he sees me like this, it's like the first time. He leans down and wraps his mouth around one nipple, then moving to the next and caressing the other with his hands. His hands drop to my ass, and then he gives it a tight squeeze before hooking his thumbs at the sides of my lace panties and pulling them down.

"Fuck, Bella…" he says, referring to my waxing job. _Okay…thank you, Alice._

His middle finger lightly dips down to brush against my slit and I hiss out loud. He chuckles and pulls my right leg up on the bed and he unzips my thigh high boot and pulls it off. He raises an eyebrow at me and asks "You're not overly attached to these tights, are you?" I shake my head, giggling, as he roughly tears it down my leg. He puts my leg down as he raises the other one and does the same thing.

"God, Bella. Those boots…so fucking hot," he mutters. _Okay, Alice…you win that one too._

He kisses my neck again while breathing hot and heavy, palming my breasts. I throw my head back in delight, enjoying the intensity of his hot breath while it's giving me goosebumps._ This isn't about you, Bella_.

I pull his face from my chest, and I cup his face in my hands. "Edward, I need you to lie down for me," I say, and he pouts.

"But Bella—"

"Nope," I cut him off. "Lie back, Edward. This is about you, not me." He complies, sitting against the headboard, watching me.

"Bella, you do realize that getting you off gets me off, right? Half of the fun of you pleasing me is letting me please you." I almost break at his words…_almost._

I decide to ignore his comment, though making a mental note in my head. I crawl onto the bed, straddling his legs.

"Now that you've unwrapped your present, I need to get these _unnecessary_ clothes off of you," I say seductively, and the only movement he makes is the bob of his adam's apple. I play with the hem of his shirt, moving to raise it up over his head. He moves his hands to my hips, trying to get me to cause some friction, any friction, but I do no such thing. I look at his pajama pants, practically drooling over what's waiting for me under them. I look at him and his eyes are already on me, waiting for my next move. I move my hand down, ever so slowly, and pull out what's calling out to me. After a quick lick to the palm of my hand, I grasp him and he hisses, his arousal leaking for me already. I start pumping him and his hands grasp the sheet beside him.

"Edward, close your eyes, baby…and keep them closed," and he does. "I want you to think about all the things you want to do to me." He grunts, and I continue. "Think about all the ways you want to take me, Eddie." His eyebrows raise, eyes still closed, as he hums in pleasure, enjoying his fantasies. I stroke him at a normal pace, thumbing around the tip where he's starting to pearl. He hisses again, which is a sound that I really love from him. I take this opportunity, his eyes being closed and all, to slowly lower my mouth to the tip of him.

He jumps in surprise, and his dick twitches. "Fuck, baby…mmm." He moans, banging his head back into the headboard. _He'll feel that later._ His hands instinctively move to my head and I get to work. I swirl my tongue around the tip of him, flicking the tip of my tongue at his opening. He begins to thrust wildly into my mouth, moaning things that are probably illegal in some places. He finally opens his eyes and looks down to meet mine, and he loves what he's seeing. Still in my mouth, I pump the base of him where my mouth won't reach, and I fondle his balls. _It won't be long, now._

"FUCK, oh my god, Bella…mmm,_ suck me_…oh, fuck…ahh, yeeessss…mmm, suck my cock, Bella…" _And thus the music to my ears. The things Edward says when he's getting head. So. Fucking. Hot. _I bob my head up and down a few times before I slide my mouth up to his tip, pumping the rest of him with my hand, and sucking as hard as I can on the tip. He yells out, stopping his thrusting, and he grips my hair as I feel the delicious burn on my scalp. He grunts my name and I feel him tense up and finally explode in my mouth. I look up at him as I lick him clean and take note of how amazing he looks when he cums. His eyes are squeezed shut, his hands still gripping my hair, and he's panting heavily. I release him, and he releases his death grip from my hair. I tuck him away back into his pants, and meet him at eye level. He still hasn't opened his eyes, but his breathing is starting to slow down. He finally opens his eyes, setting his focus on me. He smirks at me and moves his hands to my hips, caressing me, while we stare at each other. Once he's breathing normally again _(ego boost for Bella), _he finally speaks.

"Shit, Bella," he pants, "I think I almost passed out. Fuck, that was…" He trails off and I smile like the cat who got the cream. _Pun intended?_

I hold an evil grin and move off of him, sitting at the end of the bed, on my knees. He almost moans in protest and I know he wants to touch me, but I won't give in. The intensity of his eyes makes my mouth dry. He's anxious to know my next move. Still smiling, I move my knees apart and spread my legs, showing Edward just what kind of effect he's having on me. His gaze moves downward and he groans, _loudly._

"Fuck!"

"See what you do to me, Eddie? One touch from you would probably finish me off, right here, right now." He swallows loudly, and I bite my lip and move my left hand down to my center. Edward freezes, not believing what he's seeing. As soon as my finger reaches it's destination, I moan out loud, not only because of how good it feels, but because I know he's watching me. I move my finger faster and faster, circling my clit as Edward watches in awe. He palms himself on the outside of his pants and he moans my name while watching me. He grunts at his movements, but he stops completely when he sees me throw my head back in pleasure, moaning his name while I insert a finger into myself. He grabs at his hair, tugging hard in disbelief, never taking his eyes off me. As I pant and chant his name, I explode around my own fingers. I see stars as I ride out my own orgasm, and all I can hear from Edward is "Holy fuck." I come down from my high and look at Edward, who still has his hands in his hair, and again, hard as a rock.

Trying to establish a normal breathing pattern, I crawl back to Edward and wrap my body around him. He takes this opportunity to push me backwards, falling on top of me. He looks into my eyes and down my body as if it was made of ancient gold. His caresses set my whole body on fire, and before I know it, I find myself needing him in any way he'll have me.

"Do you know what I love about you, Bella?" Edwards asks, stroking my cheek. "Well, to be fair, there's a lot of things I love about you, but do you know one of the things I love _most_ about you?" I shake my head.

"You say that this is all about me, right? You're so determined to make this so good for me, that you don't take your own pleasure into consideration. I mean, sure, you just got yourself off, but you did it not because you wanted it, but because you know how much I'd fucking love it." I blush at the mention of what I'd just did, but it's true. This is all for him. An orgasm for me is a bonus.

"Do you know how fucking hot that was, Bella? To watch you pleasure yourself, all the while moaning my name the whole time? It's like that time when I caught you in the shower. You're so fucking sexy, Bella. Such a naughty girl, and you're all _mine._ I don't think I'll ever be able to get enough of you," he says, as I begin to feel my wetness trail a bit down my leg. I purse my lips, swallowing a moan, when he cups my face in his hands.

"Tell me, Bella…are you wet?" I groan faintly and he half smiles. "I can't hear you, Bella. Are you, or are you not…_wet_?" He whispers hotly into my ear and I moan, nodding my head. This time my moans are not so subtle.

"Do you want me?" He asks, and I nod.

"No, Bella, I want to hear your voice. Do you…want me?" He repeats and I whisper, "Yesss."

"Do you want my cock, baby?" _Okay, time to cash in my chips. Take me out of the oven, 'cause I am DONE._

I bite my lip in response, moaning loudly in frustration at his words and squeezing my thighs together. Seeing this, Edward moves his hand in between my legs and separates my legs with his knee, just enough where I can't create any friction.

"Fuck…Edward…_please_," I beg, but he doesn't relent.

"Nope, I want your answer." I throw my head back in frustration…_delicious frustration_.

"Mmm, fuck, Eddie. I want your cock, please…I need it," I pant, and he smiles triumphantly.

"I'm glad to hear that, Bella. But I have a better idea for right now. Right now I wanna eat my girlfriend's pussy— that okay with you?" I barely squeak out a response before his head disappears between my thighs. His tongue licks along my slit, literally a hairline away (well, considering I just waxed…) from my clit, and I yell out in frustration. He runs his hands along my thighs and grabs my ass to pull me closer to him. Heat runs all through my body as I realize that I'm letting him win. _This is supposed to be his gift, not mine. _Edward stops what he's doing and looks up at me.

_Did I say that out loud?_

"Bella, I don't wanna hear anymore about this being about me. I'm aware that this is about me, hence why my face is buried between your legs. I want this, now shut up and let me taste you." I freeze for a second, trying to replay what he just said in my head before he resumes his task, licking between my folds and driving me absolutely crazy. His lips and tongue are deliciously working me over; his teeth gently nip at my clit and my hands grab at his hair.

Having Edward Cullen's face between your thighs can only be described in such a way— like, being on a roller coaster for the first time, slowly working your way up to the top. You don't know what's going to happen. You're scared, you're excited, and you don't know why the build-up is so slow. You're gripping the piece of metal that's holding you in place. Finally…you're going to drop soon. You know it's going to happen and you feel completely alive as you reach the very top, letting your arms loose. The stillness is barely a millisecond before you find yourself falling, not even feeling like you're attached to anything…you're just falling. So, when you open your eyes after the shock, you grab onto the metal piece that's holding you in around your waist and then you feel secure enough to enjoy the rest of your ride. Well, Edward's head of luscious hair is the metal piece that holds me in place as I ascend, as well as descend, up and down my roller coaster of an orgasm.

He pushes his face in deeper as I'm pulled out of my metaphorical thoughts, and his tongue enters me and I lose all sense of…well, everything. _Story of my life._

"Fuck…Edward…oh _shit!" _He groans, causing a vibration in my happy place. I can feel myself leaking and Edward's drinking every drop.

"Mmm, Bella…you taste so fucking good," he murmurs into my pussy, "I could drink you forever."

I ride his face with reckless abandon, and as soon as he inserts a finger into me, I cry out that I'm close.

"I know you are, baby. So tight, fuck. God, you're so perfect, Bella." He curls his fingers, finding that special spot.

"Are you gonna cum, baby?" Edward asks huskily, and I nod violently. "Do you want to cum in my mouth, or would you rather cum with my cock in you?"

I groan out a response. I don't even think Edward knows what I said, because he just gave me a questioning look.

Noticing that he stopped, I moved my hips, needing to feel him. He smirks again, and moves down to continue what he's doing. He's grabbing my ass harder now, thrusting his tongue inside me, hard. He is literally fucking me with his tongue and it feels _so fucking good. _All it's gonna take is a few words…

"Cum in my mouth, Bella. Let me drink you before I fuck you," Edward sticks his finger back into me, curing his fingers again, hitting my G spot. Aaaaaaand, I explode, screaming Edward's name in the process. The intensity is almost too much for me. Finally, when I float back to earth, Edward makes his way to my face, kissing me. I can taste myself on him, and it doesn't bother me at all. Panting like the crazy mess that I am, I start laughing, eliciting an arched eyebrow from Edward.

"Fuck, Edward…I don't think I'll ever get used to this," I say, chest still heaving up and down.

"What? Great sex?" He smiles wide, the cocky bastard. Yeah, he knows he's fantastic in bed. Not that other women need to know that. _Mine._

"Well, yes, but…the whole you 'fucking-me-into-a-catatonic-state' thing," I pant and he laughs out loud. _It's okay, I know you're proud._

"Well, babe, I aim to please…but then again, we both know I do more than please you," he winks, and I roll my eyes, sitting up.

"Then prove it, finish what we started," I challenge him, his gaze turning dark yet again. His hand goes to his hard-on, stroking himself in front of me. I can't look away. Call me a pervert if you will, but watching a man stroke himself is hot as fuck, especially because it's Edward. Watching his eyes watch me while he pleasures himself…there's nothing better. He stops what he's doing and moves to kiss me, when I whisper, "Don't stop."

He looks at me for a second, and begins pumping himself again. "I almost forgot," he grunts, "you love to watch me." I lick my lips and nod hungrily as he quickens his pace. I can tell he's holding back by the tense expression on his face. He's close, and if he's gonna cum, it's going to be inside me.

"Come here, Eddie," I coax him. I lie on my back, ready for him to take me anyway he wants. He surprises me by lifting my right leg above his shoulder, and pushing into me right away.

"FUCK," we both yell out as my insides swallow him whole. We still for a moment, enjoying the feeling, before I urge him to go. His one hand wraps around my leg while the other rests beside my head. He pounds into me while I moan like a whore, my arms scratching and grabbing whatever I can of him. No, seriously, Edward is turning me into a starved whore. Ask me if I care.

"Ungh, Bella, you're always so fucking tight…_ahh_, I'm not gonna last, love," he grunts as he pulls me up on his knees and into his lap, still inside of me as I straddle him. Latching his hand onto my hips, he establishes a rhythm that I can easily meet, and I ride him slowly, softly. We instantly go from sex-crazed animals to two people making love, and the feeling is completely out of this world. This time there's no dirty talk, no screams and _fuck me_'s, only the sounds of our breath and moans…our _love_. I can tell that Edward's close just like I am, so I tighten my inner muscles, making him gasp at the feeling. One of his hands move up to the back, staring into my eyes.

I squeeze my muscles again and he gasps again. He kisses my lips tenderly and whispers softly, "I love you…cum with me, Bella, _fall with me_."

And I do, wholeheartedly. Forever.

* * *

I don't know what I was dreaming about, but it was definitely good. Rubbing my eyes, coming out of my peaceful slumber, I'm woken up by Edward jumping on the bed like a child on…well, Christmas morning.

"Wake up, Bella! It's Christmas!" He keeps jumping, and thank god he at least put on track pants. I don't think I could have handled that if he were naked.

"Edward," I groan, "please, let me go back to sleep."

He shakes his head, landing on his knees in front of me. "It's Christmas!"

I sit up and he smiles. "Is there any reason why you're jumping on our bed like a child?"

He kisses my cheek with a chuckle. "I just thought you'd like to be woken up with something other than my morning wood for a change," I burst out laughing at that one.

"Eddie, don't _ever_ think that," I wink and he wiggles his eyebrows at me. He reaches over to his side of the bed and reaches down into the bottom drawer of his nightstand. _Jesus, we really are like an old married couple— we have our sides of the bed and our own bedside night tables. _He turns back towards me, opens my hand and places a velvet box inside. I freeze, assuming the obvious, when I look at him questioningly. He raises his hands up in defense.

"Hey, you said one present each. I promise I listened this year. I know every year we argue about this—" he stops himself when he notices my frown. "Right, you wouldn't know that…sorry."

I look down at the box, and then up at him. _This is where he'd start a speech, right? Isn't he supposed to have a little speech prepared? Even so, am I ready to get married? I mean, it's Edward, so of course I want that with him. Should I say yes? What if I don't? What if— _

He looks at me, confused, and then realizes what I'm assuming. _Ah, glad you're still with us, Edward._

"Oh, shit…no, Bella…it's not what you think…"

_Well, shit just got awkward._

"No no no, there's no way I'd get that for you for Christmas." He says worriedly, and suddenly I feel a slight pain in my chest. _Oh._

"Oh, fuck. No, that's not what I meant. I just mean that, well, I'd never make that your Christmas gift. I mean, that wouldn't count as a gift. That'd be something completely separate. And I don't mean that I don't wanna marry you, I just didn't think that we're ready for that kind of thing, well, especially with what's been going on with you, and I know we've never actually talked about it, but I do really want that with you, and—"

I silence him with my index finger on his lips.

"You're really cute when you get all nervous and flustered," is all I say, while opening the box. Inside is a silver heart-shaped locket that looked to be hand-engraved with a beautiful design. I pull it out of the box as my eyes water. I open it, expecting a space for photos and I find something more, something better. The inside of the locket is flat and smooth, and it's engraved with words— the most beautiful words I've ever read.

_More than my own life.  
My love, my forever._

I burst into tears, naturally, and I wrap my arms around Edward's neck. "I love it, Eddie. Thank you so much," I breathe, itching to put it on. Edward helps me, and once it's on, I never want to take it off.

"I'm glad you like it, Bella. Merry Christmas, baby, I love you." He kisses me, and nuzzles his nose into my neck. "…and last night was incredible too, thank you."

I blush, and he can feel the heat on my face, so he looks up to meet my eyes. "What's wrong?"

I shake my head. "I just feel kind of…stupid. I don't know if stupid's the right word, actually…"

"Okay, why?" He asks, concerned.

"I feel like I should have gotten you a better gift," I say quickly, bashfully, and he knits his eyebrows in confusion. "I feel like I should have gotten you something like this," I touch the necklace. "I mean, I did what slutty college girls do for their boyfriends, you know? I should have gotten you something _real_, something tangible…"

"Bella, all I'll ever need in my life is you. Surely you know that, right? And as for my gift, I fucking loved it! You say you should have gotten me something tangible? You did. You gave me you, many years ago. You agreed to go out with me, and the rest is history. That's all I'll ever need to know."

I smile and nod, while Edward gets up, attempting to pull me with him.

"Okay, let's get ready and get to Rose and Emmett's before they hunt us down."

"Noooooo," I whine like a child, "I don't wanna!" With a smirk, Edward gets up on the bed and starts jumping again.

"Come on, Bella, it's Christmas morning! Wake up, wake up!" I cringe as he pulls me up with him, and before I know it, we're jumping on our bed like two little kids. Of course I would get tangled in the sheets and fall, causing Edward to laugh hysterically at me. I glare at him and he keeps jumping. I stick my foot out to trip him, and he comes tumbling down on top of me as we giggle like the immature children we still are.

"That's something you're gonna have to get used to when we have kids, Bella," Edward says, and I just stare at him.

"What," he says, "you don't think about that kind of stuff?"

"No, I do, it's just…I don't know, Edward, it's just weird to hear you say it, I guess."

"That's alright…and don't worry, Bella. I know we're not ready to get married and have kids, but believe me when I say that when I see myself in the future, I only see me doing that with you."

I sigh, and he caresses my cheek.

_I can't wait for the day._

* * *

"Oh my god, Jazzy, I love it!" Alice chimes as she opens the Pandora box, pulling out a charm bracelet already filled with charms.

"Each charm represents something, and I'll leave you to figure that out," Jasper says, as Alice kisses him in appreciation. I look at her bracelet and look carefully at her charms. Among many, there's one with light pink crystals all over it, which I know signifies Alice's favourite colour. Next is a baseball, and I know that's because in high school, after Jasper spent a summer in Texas, Alice knew she was attracted to him and it was at a baseball game. While he was stepping up to bat, she turned to me said, "I think I'm going to marry Jasper Hale." Another charm was a green one with four leaf clovers on it, and sadly, I know the significance of this one too— St. Patty's day, in high school, also known as "The Green Party". You had to dress in something green and bring something green. The Green Party was the first time Alice and Jasper had sex.

"Alice?" I ask, and she nods to me. "What's the significance of the rubber ducky?" Alice's face goes bright red. She looks at Jasper and he grins.

"Remember that night?" He asks and they giggle. I shake my head.

"Never mind, I don't wanna know," I say, continuing my studying of the bracelet. The next charm is a block with the letter J on it, and the rest of them are charms with intricate details and designs. There's one of an elephant, which signifies the night that Forks hosted a carnival, which was their first date. Jasper won Alice the pink elephant she wanted and she still has it to this day. There's a cowboy boot on there too, obviously because of Jasper being a country boy at heart.

Rose squealed in delight as she opened up her box and pulled out a Burberry cashmere scarf and matching gloves. _That couldn't have been cheap._

"Oh my god, Em. I love it, thank you so much!" She kisses him on the cheek and he sighs in relief.

Emmett got Edward and I new iPhone cases, mine pale green with white polka dots, and Edward's an original Nintendo controller. I don't think I've ever heard Edward squeal like a girl before— and apparently neither has anyone else. He and Rose also bought us a new coffee maker, and a Tassimo at that. To my absolute delight, Rose presented me with a gift box filled with the entire line of my favourite lotion, _Paris Amour_ from Bath and Body Works. Alice surprised me with a gorgeous navy blue v-neck cashmere sweater. Navy blue was alwaysher favourite colour on me. Jasper decided to match it by buying me a gorgeous navy blue charm bracelet, intricately detailed with silver and blue charms. Edward got the _Dark Knight_ trilogy, much to his excitement, from Jasper, while Alice bought him a suede black scarf with matching gloves and a bottle of his favourite Volturi wine. As good as it is, that shit's expensive. Tissue paper and wrapping paper and bags are covering the floor, while cards and torn open envelopes are all over the coffee table. _Yep, it sure looks like Christmas._

"As great as all of this is, your present to me was the best one, darlin'," Jasper says to Alice, as she smirks.

"Wait, what did she get you?" Emmett asks, and Jasper only needs to smile. "No way, Rosie did the same thing for me, man! Hey, Bella, what'd you do for Edward for Christmas?" My blush comes out of nowhere as Edward speaks for me.

"Dude, why do you think the three of them went shopping for us all…_together_?" The look on Emmett's face is priceless as I hide my face.

"Well," Rosalie decides to break the awkwardness, "if that's all the presents, I'll start cleaning up and make us some coffee?" Rose moves to get up and start cleaning, but she's stopped by Emmett.

"Actually," he says, "there's one more present…for _you_." Rosalie smiles at his unexpected gesture, which is new for her; it's clearly hormone induced. Normally, his smothering her with gifts at Christmas would have elicited arched eyebrows and eye rolls from her. Coming back from their bedroom, he stands in front of her and grabs both of her hands. "I want to give it to you in front of all of them, is that okay?" She nods carefully, and I'm secretly hoping he's not going to rip his pants off and start dancing in a red thong. _Oh god, a visual of Emmett doing that. Ew, ew, ew._

"Baby, close your eyes and hold out your hand," he says confidently, as she does. He pulls out a velvet black box from his pocket, looking at all of us with a smile, causing a silent gasp and wide eyes from Alice and I. _Oh my god, he's isn't…_

He places the box in her hand, and she opens her eyes. Tears immediately begin to flow down her face, and she's a blubbering mess as she opens the box.

"Rosalie," he begins. _Okay, he definitely is. _"I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. We used to play as children, despising each other along the way. When high school happened, I had no idea what to do with myself. You captured me in a way that I could never even express, and here we are, seven years later. Seven amazing years have gone by, and a month ago you made me the happiest man in the world when you told me that we're having a baby. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and this baby we're having. The baby that will have your beautiful eyes, or your lips, your laugh, and my…taste in sports, or…my last name, that's all I really care about, to be honest." He starts to tear up as well, as Edward grabs and caresses my hand._ I know, Edward, I know. _"Seven years ago, a beautiful relationship began, and as the seven year mark is coming to an end, I now want to start forever with you and our baby. Rosalie Lillian Hale, will you please…marry me? Spend forever with me and put up with my stupid ass?"

She's crying uncontrollably now, nodding her head. "Yes, Emmett, of course!" He grabs her hand and slips the ring on and kisses her deeply, pulling her into a tight hug. He then drops down to her stomach, raises her sweater and kisses her skin there.

Alice, of course, is a blubbering mess as well, grabbing Rose and Emmett and hugging them both, singing about planning the wedding and designing the dress. I steer clear of that conversation real quick. Jasper hugs them both as well, congratulating his sister, and punching Emmett's arm. "You better take care of my sister, man."

Emmett nods. "Don't worry, man. I know you'll come after me—"

Jasper shakes his head. "I won't have to, Rosie will just beat the shit out of you before I get the chance." We all laugh, and Rose raises a mischievous eyebrow at Emmett. She hugs Jasper tightly and he whispers, "I wish mom and dad were here to see all of this," and Rose nods, sadly.

I wrap my arms around Rose, and she hugs me back. "I'm so happy for you, Rose," I whisper and kiss her cheek. "You deserve this." Edward hugs her too, as he grabs her hand to look at the ring. It's a heart-shaped diamond, with diamonds twisting around the white gold band. It's absolutely gorgeous and definitely perfect for Rosalie.

After the congratulatory kisses and hugs, Edward and I leave, saying that we'd go visit Riley for Christmas. "We're coming back, we just wanted to go see Riley for Christmas and drop off his gift. With Charlotte gone, he's all alone," Edward says, and Rose makes us promise that we'll come back for dinner.

"If Rose is cooking, we're definitely coming back," I say to Edward as we leave.

* * *

"I can't help but feel bad for Riley," I say, as we're almost at Riley's house. "The poor man has no one. He's all alone at his home for Christmas."

Edward nods. "And I can't believe that Charlotte left. That's so unlike her, I wonder where she went."

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you…" I trail off and Edward looks over to me. "What?" He asks.

"Charlotte called me a couple of days ago," I say.

"You? That's…random. Why?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought, like, how random, right? Well, she asked if she heard correctly that my dad's a cop. So, I said yes, and she asked if he could help her find someone. I made a joke about finding a crazy ex-boyfriend or something and she said that she couldn't say anything more and that she was willing to drive to Forks and speak to my dad in person."

Edward ponders for a moment and then speaks. "Hmm. I have no idea what she'd be up to. I mean, not that it's any of my business, but it really makes me wonder." I nod, as we pull up to his driveway. We get out, and it's snowed since the last time I've been here, so the beautiful colours of Autumn are long gone.

After knocking a couple of times, we are greeted at the door by a very happy Charlotte, to our own shock.

"Edward! Bella! Merry Christmas! What brings you two here? Here to see Riley?" She asks excitedly. "Please, please, come in! It's freezing!" We step inside, and the amazing smell of Christmas turkey fills the house.

_"Is that Edward and Bella?"_ We hear Riley from the kitchen.

"Oh, Bella, before you go into the kitchen," Charlotte half whispers, "thank you for talking to your dad. He really helped me. I owe you one!"

"Sure, not a problem, as long as I could help you."

"Ah, it wasn't to help me, Bella. I did it for Riley." She smiles and leads us to the kitchen. I look at Edward, and he looks back at me, equally confused. Stepping into the kitchen, we're met by a blinding smile from Riley, who all but sprints over to greet us.

"My my, what a surprise, thank you for stopping by! Christmas is officially perfect!" He hugs us both and I hand the bag I'm holding to him, as he thanks us three separate times. Charlotte mentions that the coffee's ready, and as we sit down, we notice a jacket on one of the chairs.

"Riley?" Edward asks, "Who else is here?" Riley only smiles, as the mysterious figure enters the room. Edward and I recognize the woman right away, gasping with wide eyes.

"Edward, Bella, I'd like you to meet someone very special." He pauses, waiting for our reactions.

"This is Layla. Layla, this is Edward and Bella."

.

.

.

.

.

**Cliffie! Sorry, it just seemed like the perfect way to end this chapter. I hope everyone had a great Christmas (or whatever it is that you celebrated this month!), and I'm wishing you all a very Happy New Year!**

**Links for this chapter are in my profile. As always, I love hearing your thoughts, whether it's predictions or just telling me what you think in general.**

**Before I go and let you carry on living your life, I would like to, again, pimp out a fic that I am completely in love with right now: ****_In Your Room_**** by LayAtHomeMom. You won't be sorry, and I squeal in delight every time she updates it.**

**Thanks for reading, and see you next time!**

**xo**


	14. And A Happy New Year

**-CHAPTER 14-**

**Yeah…this is a long chapter. Hope that's okay, haha.**

"Wow, you weren't kidding, Alice…" She hands me a dress to wear tonight. Alice and Rose are occupying my living room while my boyfriend wanders about the apartment, trying to keep himself busy. I don't blame him one bit.

"Not kidding about what?"

"Organizing a New Years Eve party. I don't even understand how you got Jake to agree with this." I really don't. When it comes to most things, Jake hates other people interfering and would rather do things himself.

"Yeah, well…Jake loves me," she says with a devious smile. I raise an eyebrow at her and she laughs. "Okay, I may or may not have blackmailed him into letting me host the party."

"Ah, typical Alice," Rose says, flipping through a magazine.

"Besides," Alice continues, "the cover is $10 and all the money made tonight is going to be donated to The Hurricane Sandy Relief Foundation. It's not like Jake could turn that down."

I unzip the bag I'm holding and pull out a nice black cocktail-like dress.

"Alice…"

"I know, Bella, I know…before you say it, I already know I didn't have to do it, but what do you expect? I have so many dresses and clothes lying around my studio. So just smile, accept the dress, shut up and be grateful of the free clothes you get from me." I guess can't argue that.

"Don't worry, Bella," Rosalie says, "she does the same thing to me. The only difference between us is that I'm greedy and take what I can get from our sweet Alice. Besides, she's going to be the one altering my clothes and adding that embarrassing elastic to the front of my jeans when I start really showing."

I lay my dress across the couch. The dress itself is simple: black and tight with a horizontal neckline. It ends just above my knees and is long-sleeved. After copious amounts of arguing earlier with Alice, she all but threatened my life if I went through with wearing my sneakers. I don't see the problem, really. My dress is black, as are my shoes. I just think it would be better for humanity if I didn't wear heels.

Walking to my bedroom, I'm already smelling Edward's cologne from the bathroom. _Mmm_. Opening my closet, I'm presented with a shelving unit full of shoes. I sometimes curse Alice for giving me so many things. With all of these death traps— I mean, shoes, she's given me, I could probably open up a store. Let's face it, I'm not graceful enough to wear high heels all the time. Maybe I _should_ sell them…

"Blue," Edward says behind me, and I jump.

"What?"

"Blue. You're staring at your wall of shoes again, and you're more indecisive than Alice. So, to save you the time, I'm helping you choose. Wear the blue ones. You just got them anyway. You're wearing black, right? It'll go just fine," he says, totally shirtless with the infamous V showing, which compels me to kiss him. On the lips…this time.

"You really love me in blue, don't you?" _Not that I'm complaining._

"I do," he says, running his finger up and down my arm. _Ah, damn goosebumps betray me once again. _"…your soft and creamy skin goes great with blue. Makes me want to just _ravish_ you." And with that, he walks away. _Bastard._ _Alright, blue heels it is. As long as he ravishes me after._

"Do we really have to go to this party though?" I whine, and Edward comes back into the room.

"I don't see what the big deal is, babe. It's just a party," he reassures me. I shrug my shoulders.

"I know, your sister's just insane when it comes to fashion and I'm afraid that when you leave she's gonna have her way with me and I'll show up in a dress with sequins and feathers and I'll look like a chicken or something…" Edward guffaws at my apparent joke. I wasn't aware that I made one. Seriously though, the two things that don't belong on clothing of any kind: feathers and sequins— and if I know Alice like I do…

"Do you really think my sister would dress you up like a chicken? And even if she did, you'd be the cutest chicken ever. This cock would most definitely be all up in _your_ feathers." Wiggling his eyebrows and sticking out his tongue, I can't help but laugh at him. Such a goof. _Although, my feathers wouldn't mind getting a little ruffled._ "And also, for the record, normally I wouldn't have an issue with you saying that a woman wants to have her way with you, but when it's my sister, that's just an image I don't want." He wrinkles his nose and shakes his head. _Such an adorable dork._

"Why don't you wear the ring I bought you? It'll match your dress…"

"What ring?"

"The ring I bought you for our anniversary last year—" He stops himself. "Oh, nevermind. You wouldn't know what I'm talking about." It pains me to see that look of disappointment on his face. He reaches into my jewelry box and pulls out the ring. I can't help but gasp at how beautiful it is. In the middle there's a fair sized oval-shaped diamond with two midnight blue sapphire stones on either side.

"Oh my goodness, it's beautiful! It will go perfectly…thank you so much." _I cannot believe how good this man is to me._

"Yeah, that's what you said last year," he says, clearly still upset.

"Edward…"

"Is it always going to be like this, Bella? Am I always going to come to a screeching halt every time I reference something from the past? Somedays it feels like you got into a car accident and I'm trying to help you remember everything from your life." I know he's not mad at me, but seeing him hurt is probably worse.

"I don't see a way around it." I sigh, and he nods. There's a bit of silence and I lean in to hug him tightly.

"It's just going to take some getting used to, I guess," he finally says.

"I love you, Eddie." My affirmation earns me a smirk from him.

"I love you too, Bella."

"_Isabella Marie Swan_, stop groping my brother and come out here! Do _not_ make me throw my shoe at you!" Alice calls out from the living room. _Stupid pixie. _Not that I'm afraid of her, her aim is pitiful. She brings a whole new meaning to 'throwing like a girl'.

Edward raises an eyebrow. "She just full-named you." I nod. "Yeeeaaah, good luck with my sister and I'll finish getting ready," he says, smacking my ass on the way out.

"Bella, you're not gonna win. Just let Alice get her way or else we'll be reading about our incompetence in the paper tomorrow morning," Rose calls out, her voice dripping with sarcasm. _Point for Bella, Rose is on my side._

"Come on you guys, why am I the only one who wants to go out for New Years Eve?" _Uh oh, here comes the pout_.

"Well, I can _easily_ tell you why," Rosalie interjects, "because I'm fucking pregnant and I don't feel like going anywhere except for my couch, where I can eat whatever I want all night. And Bella…well, she's not pregnant but she just doesn't feel like partying so I'm on her side anyways." _Yes._

Edward finally walks out, ready to go. He's meeting Emmett and Jasper at Jasper's work while he's finishing his shift, and they're taking Emmett's car to the club. They're gonna hang out for a bit while we get ready. It's not until the room goes completely silent that I realize that I'm blatantly checking him out like a drooling dog. He's wearing something so simple, but I can't stop staring. He's wearing a plaid black and white button down shirt with the quarter length sleeves rolled up, _and…is that a black tie? Mmmmm,_ black jeans and black converse shoes. In his hand is his leather jacket.

"Like what you see, baby?" He asks quietly while coming closer to me.I gulp._ Damn him and the effect he has on me._

I nod like a brain-dead moron and he kisses me. "I'm gonna get going, see you later?" I nod again, and he smirks as he leans down to whisper in my ear, "Don't wear any panties tonight, Bella." _Oh. Shit. _He says goodbye to Alice and Rose, and walks out the door, but not before winking at me.

"Now that Bella's distraction's gone…" Rose mumbles, standing up. "Let's get dressed and get this shit show over with." She pulls out her beautiful purple and black dress. It's a simple, sleeveless tight purple dress, and it's wrapped in black lace, creating a contrast between the two colours. Next to come out are the matching purple with black lace high heels. Alice sees stars, while I stand there with a raised eyebrow. Her eyes meet mine and she stops. "What?"

"Rose, are you sure you should be wearing—"

"Bella, please. I _just _finished having an hour long argument with Emmett over this. This is the last social event that I'll be able to wear anything tight, let alone wear high heels. Pretty soon I'm going to swell more than I already have and I'm using tonight and milking it for all it's worth. You're all going to be drinking when I can't, so please let me have this." I nod, and we start changing into our dresses.

Alice jumps, effectively scaring the crap out of me. I swear I just saw a lingering feather fly off me. _Okay, Bella, you can stop with the chicken jokes now._ "Oh! By the way, what happened on Christmas at Riley's house? I mean, I know you came back for Christmas dinner but you guys didn't give any full details on that, you just said that she came back."

"Oh, yeah…it was somewhat surreal, you know? I heard stories about the great love of Riley's life and it really seemed like a fairytale kind of romance with a tragic end. Well, I guess the ending wasn't _tragic, _but it was sad how they never saw each other again and he was saying how he didn't know where she was. It was this huge open-ended mystery. Meeting her in person was almost like…meeting someone famous, you know?"

"What does she look like?" Alice asks.

"She's so beautiful, it's unreal. She looks like a mix between Anne Hathaway and Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. She has that timeless beauty look, like she could have been a pin-up girl. Chocolate brown hair, which is now fairly greyed, brown eyes, petite body…she's _gorgeous_. She's exactly the way that Riley described her and as far as I know, she's not going anywhere. She's going to stay with him."

Alice and even Rose (mostly hormone driven) both bring their hands to their chests. "That's so cute, oh my gosh! So…how'd the evening go?"

"It went well, we sat around and talked. Layla talked about how she just came back from traveling Europe. She just got back from Greece, actually. She was in Santorini for most of her trip, and she had just landed in California when Charlotte got into contact with her. As soon as they talked, Layla went to Forks and they met up. You guys should have seen Riley though. She was sitting on his lap at the table and he looked so…_complete_. Even Edward was shocked when he saw how happy he was— he said he'd never seen Riley so happy, ever."

While getting ready, I inform them of every detail I can.

_"It's lovely to meet you, Layla, I've heard nothing but wonderful things." Even I could hear the nervousness in my voice. I almost felt starstruck._

_"Same here, Bella. Riley was just talking about you two— he seems to have a soft spot for you both. You two look great together, you look so in love." Her smile was so genuine._

_Edward grabbed my hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. "Yes Ma'am, I am forever taken by this beauty." I blushed at his comment and Layla sighed._

_"I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic, I admit," she said, looking at Riley, "but I never found someone to fill the void in my heart. I've only loved one man, despite everything." I almost melted at her admission, to a puddle on the floor. "When Charlotte found me, I was in California. I decided I was done traveling, done…running. That's all I was doing. Sure, I was seeing the world and being totally and completely free, but all I was doing was running from any kind of commitment. I think deep down, I knew that I'd never meet anyone who I could love more then Riley. I knew, despite never seeing him again, I was finally done running. Imagine my shock when I got a call from Charlotte. You can't tell me that's not fate."_

_Wow._

_"Now she's here," Riley beamed, tightening his hold on Layla, "and I'm never letting her go again." _

_"I'm just happy to see you happy, Riley." Edward said, earning a mile-wide smile from Riley._

_"I'll tell you, son, it's hard not to be. I can't believe Charlotte did this for me."_

_"Yeah, I wasn't very subtle about it. I tried to think up different ways to introduce them again, but then I decided that an old fashioned ring of the doorbell would be good enough. So, Riley opened the door, and well, truthfully, I'm not sure he even saw me," Charlotte says with a giggle, "he only saw Layla…and I knew right then that I had made the right decision."_

_It wasn't long before the conversation shifted to Edward's beginnings of his building project after the new year, and Charlotte took advantage of it and nudged me._

_"Bella? Could I speak to you in private for a minute?" I nodded and we went outside to the front._

_Charlotte lit up a cigarette, to my surprise. She noticed the look on my face and grinned. "I know. Riley hates that I do it, but I don't do it often. It's more of a social thing. I started smoking after my divorce. That fucker took everything from me."_

_I nodded sympathetically and she shook her head. "Sorry, doll, that's not why I brought you out here, to rehash my past. I just wanted to thank you for all your help. The fact that you asked your father to help me…well, that was very kind of you. I'm sorry if I came off as a bit rude on the phone, I just didn't want anyone to know what I was up to. When I met up with your father in Forks, I told him why I was looking for her and he agreed that he wouldn't say anything, especially since it was a surprise for Edward's boss. I just didn't want to risk anything getting back to Riley."_

_"No, no, I completely understand. I was just scared that you were running away or something, heh. But I'm really glad that you did it. You did a great thing for Riley, Charlotte."_

_"I know," she said. "I just knew that he'd never be truly happy if she wasn't in his life. They needed to see each other again."_

_"What will you do now? I mean, it's clear that Layla's not going anywhere. Are you going to stay here with them?"_

_She nodded. "I have to. I'm just…I'm still needed." I knitted my eyebrows in confusion at that, and she gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry, Bella…there are things about Riley that I can't talk about. Not because I don't want to, but because Riley's asked me not to." _

_I threw my arms up in defense. "Hey, that's totally your business. I'm not one to pry. But like I said, you've done a great thing for Riley."_

_"_Wow," Alice sighs, "Layla sounds like a good woman. But she's right, you know? You can't say that's not fate. Right when she decides to stop her nomadic lifestyle and settle down, she's brought back to Riley. They don't write too many stories like that anymore." Leave it to Alice to be a believer in fairytales. Hence the Pixie nickname.

Alice unzips the bag holding her dress and when she pulls it out, I see nothing but pink. I should have known. She slips it on and while Rose zips her up, I get a chance to really look at it. The dress is strapless, which isn't common for Alice at all. Below the bust, the dress flows freely, coming down to just above her knees. It wouldn't be Alice if she didn't coordinate everything to look good. Her shoes are grey, she's wearing a long pearl necklace, and…_of course_ she's wearing a tiara. _I cannot wait to start with the pearl necklace jokes though._

"Really, Alice? A tiara?" She nods, and I don't bother to ask anymore. From what Edward told me about their childhood, Alice was definitely the kind of little girl who dressed up like a full-out princess. She held tea parties too. Guess who was forced to join her? Only her twin brother. Esme has a picture somewhere, and I definitely want it. Future wedding slideshow, perhaps?

Rosalie decided to keep it simple tonight, matching her purple dress and heels with a purple ring on her right hand, while still sporting her gorgeous engagement ring on her left. Rose likes to act tough and all, but I've caught her looking at her ring a few times tonight in utter and complete awe. It really is a beautiful ring.

"I was going to wear fishnets with my dress tonight, can you believe it?" Alice, as she normally does, pulls me out of my inner monologue and I wonder if she said what I think she did. Before I have the chance to ask, she continues. "I was going to wear them, thinking that Jay would like them, you know? Thinking it would add a little sexiness to my outfit. But now that I think about it…I'm definitely wearing the wrong dress for fishnets, wow. Like, _duh_, Alice." And as it usually happens, a lightbulb goes off in my head.

"Well, if you're not going to wear them…can I?" Alice shrugs her shoulders and tosses the package at me. As good as they'd look with my dress, I remember that Edward told me to not wear panties. I let a small shiver run down my spine at the thought, however, I can't wear fishnets under my dress and not wear panties. Eek, that'd be uncomfortable.

"They'll look better with what you're wearing anyways. They're thigh-highs, by the way. There's somewhat of an elastic at the top where they sit and they won't cut off your circulation. They won't run down your legs all night, either. They stay put, at least 'til Edward rips them off." _No, Bella, stop blushing._

"Alice…" I start, but she waves me off.

"As if I don't know my own twin brother. Come on, Bella, give me some credit. Who do you think I consulted upon choosing your dress tonight? He knows what he likes on you, Bells."

_…Of course those two conspired behind my back, just like they always do._

"Okay, the limo will be here in about an hour. That should be enough time to do hair and make-up, yes?" I shrug, as does Rosalie. There isn't much to do, really. Rosalie wants to straighten her hair, while I may curl mine a little bit. Alice's hair only comes down to her shoulders, so there isn't much she'll do with it, especially since she's wearing a tiara. _Eye rolling? What's that?_

"I really hate being a girl sometimes," I say, wrapping my hair around the curling iron. "Like, men just shower, put on clothes and leave. It's unfair."

"Bella, men take a while to get ready, just like we do. They're just more clever about it. Jasper's not too bad, but he has his moments." Alice starts giggling at the thought. "And don't even get me started on Emmett while we were growing up—"

"Oh, believe me, Allie, nothing's changed about Emmett, he still makes sure he's matching and looking his best before he leaves the bathroom." Rosalie rolls her eyes.

"I guess it's just a Cullen thing, then," I say. They probably inherited that from Esme. I can't see Carlisle being that way, being a doctor and all.

After what seems like forever, we're done. And just like Edward asked, I decided to forgo the panties.

_Happy New Year…_

* * *

The three of us have time for some girly chatting before the limo stops at Leah's apartment. From what I can see out the window, she's a knockout tonight. I guess she got Alice's memo about matching and coordination. She's wearing a cute baby blue dress with white straps that cross at the back. There's a thin string wrapped around the middle that ties into a bow at the front. Her crocheted white wedges add more white to balance out the colours, and she completes her look with blue jewelry and a blue clutch. Once we have Leah, we set off to Jake's club, and I can start feeling the butterflies of excitement. Luckily, the limo is dim enough, as well as my dress being long enough, that when I get out, no one will be getting a free invitation to Bella's kitty show. _Me-owww, not gonna happen. _

"Leah, I love that necklace you're wearing!" Alice chimes, "where'd you get it?"

"It was a gift from Jake for Christmas, I fell in love with it when I first saw it." It really is beautiful. The chain is white gold and the tear drop pendant is baby blue. The four of us get our girly small talk and gossip out of the way on the ride there.

When we pull up to the front of the club, we already see the guys coming from the parking lot. Jasper's having a cigarette, while Edward and Emmett walk slightly ahead, laughing. Alice seems completely okay with what Jasper's wearing, and I have to admit, he looks great. His jacket is wide open, revealing a white collared shirt with a pinstripe cotton vest over top…and as usual, he's got his blue jeans and Timberland boots. Rosalie makes a loud catcall to Emmett, who's wearing indigo jeans, and under his jacket, a plain white t-shirt with a grey sweater vest on top.

Edward moves his head slightly in our direction for a second and then fixes his sight on me. He smirks crookedly at me and seems to have lit up at the sight of me. I guess it's those little things, you know? When your boyfriend looks at you like you're the only person on the planet. He walks to me, not taking his eyes off my face, until the last minute when he looks down and sees the fish net stockings I'm wearing. His eyes widen a little bit and he kisses me as soon as he's close enough.

"Are you kidding me? Are you _trying_ to kill me?" He sighs into my shoulder as I giggle at him. "…Oh, you think it's funny?"

"I think it's hilarious, Eddie."

"Of course you do. And hey, you're not dressed like a chicken! I think I'm a little disappointed."

Jake comes outside and bumps Emmett's shoulder to greet him. He makes his way to Leah first, kissing and nuzzling her. _They're so cute. It's disgusting._ He makes his way over to me and I hug him tightly. I haven't seen this kid in a while. "Jeez, Jake, where have you been? I haven't seen you in a while!"

He nods, looking completely guilty. "I've been spending a lot of time with Leah." I know that look on his face. I mean, now that I know about his former feelings for me, I now know what those looks mean. "We haven't really…left my apartment recently." His grin is absolutely adorable. _He's in love with her._ "Come on, guys. I saved you a booth." He swings his arm around and motions for us all to go in, as he grabs Leah's hand.

"Aaaaaalright, Seattle, are you guys ready to start this New Year's Eve Party?" Embry, Jake's DJ addresses the room full of screams and cheers. "Before we get into the music, I would like to introduce the little pixie who organized this whole event. Ladies and Gentlemen, Alice Cullen!"

Alice comes up and retrieves the microphone. "Alright! Well, I don't really have much to say, so I'll start with a huge thank you to everyone who came out, it really means a lot! As you all know, all proceeds made tonight are going to be donated to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Foundation, and there's a booth set up for your convenience to donate. This is a really great cause, you guys, and I'm so happy to see that so many of you have showed up. You're all freaking awesome! Let's all have a good time tonight!"

The place is pretty packed, as it usually is. Alice immediately grabs Jasper to go and dance, while Rose drags Emmett, who's a total liar, by the way. He always tells people how much he hates dancing. He _loves_ it. Edward goes to the bar to get us some beer, and Leah sits down with me once Jake goes into the back.

"So," I start, semi-yelling over the music, "how are things going with Jake?" I know it's none of my business, but I'm female. I'm curious.

"Good! Very…good, actually…" She grins, and I already know. "I think…I think I'm in love with him."

"No shit, Leah. It's all over your face, his too."

"Really? We've been spending so much time together, and I've never felt like this, Bella. He's just so great. It makes me really glad that it never worked out between you two!" I have to laugh at that. It makes me wonder how different all of our lives would be if Jake and I were the ones that ended up together. I look back up at her and she seems to be pondering.

"Leah? Just tell him."

"I don't know, Bella…"

"No, seriously. You should. Believe me, everything will be fine. Anyways, I'm happy for you and I've never seen Jake _this_ happy."

"Yeah," Edward sits with us then, handing Leah and I a beer each. "It's pretty disgusting how smitten he is with you, honestly." He grins and I smack him playfully. I have to give him kudos on his choice of the word _disgusting_, though. He and I seem to be on the same page. "Nah, I'm happy for you two. It's about time Jake gets his happy ending."

"Ending?" Leah inquires.

"What, it's not obvious?" Edward motions his head to the bar, where Jake's now talking. "He's talking about you right now to Paul. He keeps looking this way and that smile hasn't left his face. Believe me, Leah, I just know. It's a guy thing. He's got it bad for you."

The dream-like smile on Leah's face doesn't fade, and Jake comes over from the bar. "Hey Cullen, stop trying to charm my girlfriend, or I'll have to start charming yours." The fact that Jake and Edward can joke over Jake's old feelings for me…well, it's awkward. "Come on, beautiful, let's go dance." _Aaaand they're off._

"I'm happy for them. Leah's got it just as bad, you know," I say, taking a swig of my beer.

"Oh, I know," he says, also taking a swig. "Reminds me of when I met you. God, I was a wreck. I couldn't function right. I had to actively stop my mind from thinking about you. Then when I finally stopped, I didn't feel right. So I just continued to do so. I didn't leave my room half the time, 'cause my thoughts got so out of control." _Oh god. _His way with words will never not get to me_. _I try to hide my blushing face, but he catches me. "Speaking of, did you do what I asked earlier?" He rests his hand on my thigh, rubbing my skin with his thumb. Unable to form coherent words at first, I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't know, I guess you'll just have to see!" He groans, and starts raising his hand up my thigh, still caressing me using his thumb. As if it were on cue, my pulse starts to quicken. It doesn't take much for Edward to turn me into a quivering mess. _Thank god this is happening under the table._

"You know," he says into my ear, "if you did, you've made me a very happy man. I need to know or else I won't be able to think about much else for the rest of the night."

"I'm pretty sure if you knew the answer, you'd still be thinking about it all night." I say, and he groans again, this time a lot louder.

"Isabella Marie…" _Oh, come on! That's not fair!_

"Edward Anthony…" I tease. His hand moves higher, to where the fishnets end, much to his surprise.

"Fuck, Bella…" He hisses, and I remove his hand before he can discover the promise land.

"Like I said, you'll have to see." I smile at him and he gives me that look again— the look of someone stealing his puppy.

"BELLA!" I hear a shrieking voice, and turn around to see where it's coming from.

"TANYA!" I yell, not as girly, and I move to get up. Edward stays seated, quickly adjusting himself. _Hehe,_ _point for Bella._

"I'm so glad you could make it!" I squeeze her tight and she squeezes back, rocking us back and forth. I pull back, taking a second to look at her, and she's a knockout. "Tanya, you look amazing!" She really does. She's wearing a sort of tie-dye long blue shirt with a fringed sweater vest on top, and black skinny jeans. She's wearing a grey beanie hat and matching grey heels.

"Thanks, Bella, but look at you! Black cocktail dress and fishnets? Someone's trying to get some tonight, _am I right?_" She says the last part in a low voice, and I nod like the sly fox that I am…or something. Edward finally stands up and Tanya almost melts at his appearance.

"Jesus, Edward, we get it. _You're hot_. Are you trying to kill every woman here?" Edward guffaws and gives her a hug.

"You look great too, Tanya."

"No love for Sam? That's okay, I get it…" Sam comes up behind Tanya, resting his hands on her waist. Always the casual dresser. He's sporting a fedora tonight, just like Jasper. Under his charcoal jacket, he's wearing a plain smokey grey v-neck shirt, black jeans and black converse high-tops. His checkered black and white scarf hangs loose off his neck. _Kudos, Tanya. This boy has got style._

"Hi Sam," I batt my eyelashes at him, making him feel better. Edward's grip on my waist tightens a bit. _Whoa, down boy._

"Hey Bells, hey Eddie. How are you guys? Ready to get drunk and celebrate another awesome year?" Tanya and I cheer loudly, as Tanya grabs my hand and pulls me toward the bar.

"Sorry Eddie, I'm stealing your girlfriend!" If I know Tanya like I do, she just wants to gossip.

"That's alright, Tan, 'cause I'm stealing _her_ boyfriend!" Rose, out of nowhere, grabs Edward's arm and she drags him to the dance floor.

Seated at the bar, I smirk at her. "Alright, boss…tell me all about it."

"My god, Bella, I've never met anyone like Sam! We've had an amazing month together. I mean, all this time I thought that Demetri was the one, but it was just the wrong time or something. You know, typical feminine rationalization. But Sam gets me in a way that I could never explain. And he's…fun! Demetri was always attached to his work, always thinking about work. He was a great guy, but he didn't know how to let loose, you know? Now, Sam, on the other hand, takes his job seriously but knows how to have a little fun. I'm so happy, Bella…so genuinely happy."

"It looks great on you, Tanya." I offer with a smile.

We do a shot before The Beatles' _Love Me Do_ comes on. I scream in excitement and hop off the bar stool and drag Tanya to the dance floor, where I spot Alice, Jasper and Rosalie dancing. Jasper takes the opportunity to release his 80's dance moves. To my surprise, Jasper does a mean Moon Walk. Michael Jackson would be proud. Alice and I sway back and forth to the beat, and you wouldn't think that Rose is pregnant by the way she's bouncing to the beat with her brother. One dance later, and I'm ready for more beer. We approach the table and Emmett's already making everyone laugh. After telling a few jokes, Alice suggests that we all play a game.

"Okay, I have a game we can play!" Jasper hold his hands up to get our attention. "It's a game that's been in our family for years. It's called _Fuzzy Duck_. Basically we all sit in a circle and whoever starts, says 'fuzzy duck'. Then the person to their left says it, and so on, and so on. It's almost like a cross between Duck Duck Goose and Broken Telephone. At any point, someone can say "does he?" and then the game name is reversed, and the new thing to say is 'ducky fuzz'. It goes around and around until again, someone says "does he?" and then it's back to 'fuzzy duck'. Anyone who pauses to think or stumbles on their words or mispronounces it has to take a drink."

We all stare at him for a minute, before Emmett bursts out laughing, holding his sides. "Jasper, you fucking tool. What's that from, 8th grade?" This earns a glare from Rosalie. Sweet, beautiful, _hormonal_ Rosalie.

"Well, Em, I'm glad that you enjoy laughing at my brother, but that's an old family game that my parents used to play with us. I wanna play! I'll be drinking water, of course, but I can't wait to watch soberly as you all fuck up and slur your speeches!"

Emmett wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Ruthless, absolutely ruthless. That's why I love you, babe."

Naturally, the first person to screw up is Emmett, and he pouts as we all watch him take a drink.

Next to screw up is Alice…three times in a row. Jasper is next.

Tanya loses, after telling us that she's slightly dyslexic. The words she's forming are hilarious.

Leah's not too far behind, losing twice in a row after Jasper.

Emmett screws up again and yells "mother_fuck_!" before taking a drink. Rosalie then loses.

Sam jumbles his words a few too many times, ultimately losing three times in a row.

The game gets pretty intense between Jake, Edward and I, until Jake loses a round.

Edward and I are still undefeated, and I know all I have to do is whisper in his ear that I'm not wearing panties…surely _that_ will win me the game.

Oh, looks like that's not necessary. Edward just lost. "fuzzy duzz…fuzz…fuck!" _DING DING DING BELLA WINS._

"Alright, you pussies, I have a game for you. Good old fashion _Quarters_!" Emmett yells his emphasis on the name of the game with his hands up in the air as if a touchdown was scored.

"How do you play that one again?" Alice pipes up. Emmett rolls his eyes and traps her in a playful headlock.

"Alice, as much as I love you, sometimes I can't believe I'm related to you." While sticking out her tongue at him, he continues. "Quarters is pretty easy. You just bounce a quarter, in any way you can, off the table so it lands in your drink. When it does, you chose who drinks it. They chug the beer, or take the shot, whichever one. Whoever drinks is the next one up. Re-tosses are only allowed if the quarter bounces off the rim of your cup or shot glass. If you miss, the person on your left automatically goes next. Me and Rosie play this all the time, she's a damn pro!"

Rose grins. "It's true!"

"However, since it's New Years Eve, we're gonna up the stakes a bit, per se. If you're chosen to drink, you also have to disclose a naughty detail about your significant other. You have to tell us one thing that they like to do in bed, or provide us with a story. If you're too much of a wuss and don't wanna talk, you have to drink double instead. Are we good with this?" _Typical Emmett._

We all look not at each other, but at our partners. I look at Edward and he wiggles his eyebrows at me, so he's game. _Dear lord, I'm screwed._

"Alright then, let's get started!"

Emmett bounces the quarter, effectively getting it in red cup filled halfway with beer. "Alright, I nominate…little miss fire hydrant over there. Bella Marie, with the blushing red face!" _Fuck._

I chug the beer and everyone's definitely waiting for my confession. "Uhh…Eddie…has a dirty mouth," I say, and Emmett scrunches his face.

"Ed? Really?!"

"_Filthy_," I confirm. Everyone whistles as Edward rakes a hand through his hair and laughs nervously. "So, that's how it is, eh? Game on, Ms. Swan…" He says in my ear. _Shit._

I go next, and I surprisingly get the quarter in on the first shot. I look around and decide on Alice. I can see Rosalie cringing at my choice, because really, who would want to hear dirty details about their brother? Good thing I'm an only child.

"Hmmm…Jasper likes to role play, in which I play the part of his caretaker. Wounded soldier, beaten cowboy, overworked doctor and I'm his naughty nurse—"

"Okay, Alice, we get it, _thank you_," Rosalie cuts her off. "I'm not drinking, remember? I'm going to remember all of this!"

Alice gets her quarter in, and chooses Edward. _Oh no._

He only grins at me, as he clears his throat. "One day, I walked in on Bella fucking our removable shower head because she couldn't wait for me to get home. Then I fucked her up against the shower wall because it was the hottest thing I've ever seen." I feel my face burst into flames as everyone cheers. _It's okay, you're all going to hell anyways._

And so it goes the rest of the game— finding out things about my friends that I don't want to know.

"Emmett likes it when I call him Captain."

"Alice likes it when I talk in a southern accent."

"Jake likes trying different positions. He likes that I'm flexible."

"Rosalie likes it when I rip her clothes to shreds." Yes, that sound you just heard was Alice shrieking.

"Edward knows only one word or one phrase when he's getting head: "fuck" and "suck it."

"Leah likes it slow and passionate, but when I get rough, she can definitely take it!"

"Tanya likes having sex in different places and on random surfaces."

"The last time Alice scratched my back, she drew blood. I almost needed stitches."

"Emmett always wants to hear how big his dick is."

"Jake has sensitive nipples."

"Sam's ex-girlfriend once tried a King Dong dildo right in front of him! He dumped her on the spot." **(Yes, that was just for you, pal!)**

"Leah has her Zodiac symbol tattooed on her pubic bone. Seeing her tattoo there gets me so hard, man!" _Ew. Jake, no. Drunk or not, just…ew._

"If it vibrates, Rosie will try it!"

"OKAY," I yell. "I'm done! I can't listen to this anymore. Eddie, baby, I wanna dance again!"

After tripping on my shoes three times, I finally stumble my way to the dance floor. I'm not what most would call "drunk", but I have that pre-tipsy confidence boost— at least that's what I call it. It's that stage where you're still mentally sober, but your body itself is starting to react to the alcohol.

_Oh no._ I knew it was going to happen at some point. It's happening now.

_Gangnam Style._

Edward and I howl with laughter and dance like two erratic morons, while the rest of the group joins. Jasper breezes past Edward and I with the signature dance move, and he starts singing. _My god, he even knows all the words!_ I'm not sure what's funnier— the song itself, or the fact that Jasper knows every single move from the video. I guess that's what happens when you're a bartender and you hear this song 20 times in one week. We're almost peeing ourselves at the perfection of his movements, and the fact that he's wearing his fedora for the dance. He dances with us ladies all individually, before dancing by himself again. I step back, telling everyone to form a circle around Jasper. When the circle is formed, the entire place starts cheering him on - even the people on the second floor are looking down and cheering him on. It's not long before Edward joins in, followed by Jake, Sam and then Emmett.

I can tell that the alcohol is starting to reach my brain, and the shots are just being pounded back now. I look at Edward's watch on the dance floor— 11:30pm.

"Alright guys, how about a few songs from our _wayback-playback_ playlist before we get this countdown started?"

Wow, we're really going back. The room booms with an old favorite of mine and my hips automatically react.

_To all the ladies in the dance  
__I lose all control when I see you  
__Standing there in front of me  
__Your style, your clothes, your hair  
__You fair woman, you look so sexy  
__The way you wine and the way you dance  
__And the way that you twist and turn your waist  
__Leaves me wanting, leaves me yearning  
__Leaves me feelin' for a taste..._

I move my hips against Edward as his hands rest on my stomach. We move in sync with the music and his lips are on my neck. The alcohol has completely taken over and I'm moving my ass frantically over Edward's crotch, much to his enjoyment. I hear him mutter 'fuck' a few times, which only makes me dance more.

_Before the end of the night  
__I wanna hold you so tight  
__You know I want you so much  
__And I'm so tempted to touch..._

My right arm reaches back and it goes behind his neck, as my other hand rests on top of his that are on my stomach. I put more emphasis on my hips' movements and I hear Edward groan loudly. His hands move to my hips, as he shamelessly grinds himself on me, using my body to do it.

"Fuck, Bella…"

I can feel how hard Edward is and it's getting me very excited. This man can not only dance, but he's very good at moving his hips. I can only pray that I don't start dripping down my leg, you know, since I'm sans panties tonight. After the song ends, he pulls me from the dance floor and leads me to a dark corner where we won't be seen. He backs me up against the wall, effectively trapping me between the wall and him. His mouth slams against mine and we start making out like two horny teenagers. He detaches his lips from mine and starts attacking my neck.

"I fucking love it when you dance, Bella. You're so fucking hot."

"So are you, Eddie…" I breathe.

"I have to know, Bella. I _need_ to know what's under this dress." He looks at me out of pure desperation, as if his entire life depended on this moment.

I bite my lip and smirk at him. He slowly moves his hands to my thighs where my tights end. He brings his hand to my center, met with only the wetness that rests there.

"Fuck, baby, you're not wearing panties…and you're fucking bare." He growls and sticks a finger into me, eliciting a surprising yelp from me. "I knew you'd be a good girl." He starts pumping his fingers in and out of me, as I ride his hand. It doesn't take long before I scream and release onto his fingers. He takes them out, sucks on them, and he smooths out my dress with a grin while I'm trying to compose myself.

"May wanna clean yourself up, baby. You look like you've just been finger fucked by your hot boyfriend."

And then…

_He leaves._

_How the fuck does he take all the power I have and use it against me? Asshole._

* * *

We dance as a group to a few more songs until Embry announces that there's just 30 seconds left until Midnight.

We all find our other halves and each have our moments.

_"Here we go…" _

Edward grabs both my hands as the entire place breaks out in a countdown.

"…10"

He looks into my eyes and his eyes glow greener than I've ever seen. _So Beautiful._

"I love you, Bella. I'm so happy that I get to start another year with you."

"I love you too, Edward. So much." He cups my face and we continue to stare at each other, his intensity growing.

"…6"

"By the way, I have something to tell you, Bella. I wasn't allowed to say anything at first, but since it's almost officially the New Year…Riley made me a partner."

_GASP. "_What_?_!_"_

Edward smiles his signature crooked smile at me and I bring my hands to my face in surprise.

"…2…1"

"_HAPPY NEW YEAR!_"

Edward pulls me in for a lip crushing kiss. He holds me tightly and I completely melt into it. His tongue forces it's way through my lips and we kiss our way into the new year. Confetti is coming from absolutely every direction as I'm celebrating a new year with the love of my life, who just told me that his boss made him a partner. I'm in my glory; nothing could ruin this moment, nothing at all. He lifts me in the air and spins me around and I throw my head back as the new year song plays in the background. I feel like this is a scene in a movie. I'm definitely the _Peyton Sawyer_ of this moment and I wouldn't have it any other way.

_I'm so in love._

* * *

"So, we both said 'I love you' at the same time during the countdown." Leah slurs with a dreamy smile.

"That's great, Leah! I told you!"

"Well, I planned to do it, and then we just ended up saying it at the same time! I really love him, Bella! Let's do a shot!" Ah, the phrase I've been hearing all night. Everything's slowly starting to blur, but I can't help myself.

Leah mentions something about last call being over soon, so I take advantage and opt to get one more beer.

"Hey, can I get a beer please?" I shout to the bartender. I manage to get his attention and he comes sauntering over.

"There ya go, hun." I reach to pass him the money and he shakes his head. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. Wanna do a shot with me? It's on me."

My drunken mind thinks it's a great idea, but sober me is ringing the alarm in my head that's screaming not to do it. "Uh, sure, I guess that would be okay."

"Alright, what's your poison? Do you like tequila? Whiskey?"

"Well, I'm already pretty drunk, so…tequila or whiskey would be a bad idea, I think…"

"Okay, I have just the thing!" He walks away, pours two shots, and comes back. "Here, they call this a polar bear shot. Vodka and peppermint schnapps. It's smooth and tastes great."

We toast and pound back the shot, and to my amazement, it tastes incredible.

He smiles at me and extends his hand. "I'm Quil, nice to meet you."

"Bella," I say, shaking his hand.

"Well, Bella, would you like to dance?" He asks, and I shake my head apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I'm here with my boyfriend. I don't think he'd mind, but still…I'm sorry."

"Hey," he raises his hands, "I respect that. I hope you're having a good night."

"I am! I should probably be getting back though, it was nice meeting you, thank you so much for the drinks."

Making my way back to the table, I find Alice having a giggle fit. Jasper laughs and shakes his head at me, and I know what that means. Alice is _done._

"Bella!" Rosalie calls to me, "there you are. Listen, we're gonna take off, the limo's here. And Jasper really wants to get Alice home."

"Alright, sounds good. I'm getting tired anyways." I hear Edward scoff and mutter something behind me. _What was that for?_

Emmett helps Rose get her coat on, and looks at the full beer in my hand. "Better finish that up, Baby Bell, we're going."

I nod and chug it back quickly. When I'm done, I meet eyes with Edward and he walks away, not saying anything.

The limo ride home isn't what I thought it'd be. I thought we'd all be laughing and drunkenly joking around. Alice is passed out on Rose's lap, and Jasper's talking to Emmett about the upcoming NFL playoffs. Jake has his arm around Leah, with their fingers interlocked. Sam and Tanya are giggling about something in the far corner, and Edward's staring out the window. I move to hold his hand and he moves it away. _…Okay._

* * *

The limo stops at our house first, and Edward and I get out.

"Bye, you guys…Jasper, you're okay with Alice?" I ask and Jasper nods.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Emmett's gonna help me. You two have a good night."

We say our goodbyes and I avoid speaking to Edward, because I don't know what crawled up his ass and died. I just start walking up the stairs, and Edward's walking behind me. He hasn't said a single word since we left, and he looks like he could kill someone. _What did I do?_ I have to say that I've never seen him like this, it's a little frightening. We reach the hallway, and still, nothing. I unlock the front door, and I barely get through it, when I feel Edward grab me and he pushes me against the wall as the door shuts. He says nothing. He's just…staring at me.

I go to say something, but in my drunken state, it comes out as "What the fuck is your problem?"

His eyes darken. "What's _my _problem? What the fuck were you doing at the bar, Bella?"

_Huh? _

"The bar. You were doing shots with some guy?"

"Oh. Uh, yeah, he gave me free drinks, so?" _I'm sorry, he's angry about what now?_

"Yeah, he was giving you free drinks. He was trying to get into your pants, Bella, which would have been easy considering you're not wearing any panties—" I slap him across the face.

"How fucking dare you? What do I look like to you, a cheap slut?"

He looks at me, stunned for a second, and grabs both of my wrists and pins them above my head against the wall. Apparently he's not done talking. "I don't like when other men flirt with you, Bella. I don't like when they try to touch what's _mine._"

"Edward, he was just being nice—"

"No, Bella. You look fucking ravishing, and every man in that place knew it. But you're _mine._" As partially afraid as I am, his words are most definitely turning me on. His eyes are black and my— well, I'd say panties, but Edward's made it abundantly clear that I didn't wear any— core is completely soaked. I know where this is going.

"Show me, Edward. Show me who I belong to."

He growls as his mouth captures mine roughly and I moan out in response. He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around him, feeling how hard he is. He grunts as he starts rubbing himself on me. His hips hold me in place as his hands move down to unzip and unbutton his pants. He pulls his cock out, stroking it a few times. _Oh, fuck, that makes me need him even more. _I wiggle above him, needing to feel something, anything. He pushes my dress up and lines himself up with my soaked opening.

"Oh, I'll show you, alright. I hope you're not planning on walking anywhere tomorrow, Bella." And he pushes himself in, hard. I yell out in pleasure, while Edward grunts lowly. _He's so hot when he grunts._

"_Fuck,_" Edward moans, thrusting up into me.

"Mmmm," is all I can manage to get out, as his hips are pushing me higher and higher up the wall.

"You're mine, Bella…mine…ugh," he chants, over and over again.

"Ungh…Edward…oh, fuck…"

"Those fucking fishnets…on my mind…all damn night." He slows down, pulls out for a second, then slams back in.

"FUCK," I yell out, and I finally see a smirk on his face.

"You like that, Bella? Right there?" He taunts, thrusting deeper and deeper. "Who else fucks you like this?"

"No one, Eddie. No one but you…mmm, only you."

"Say it, Bella. I want to hear you say it…out loud." _Fuck, he's ruining me._

"Yours, Edward, all yours."

"That's right, baby. Ugh, fuck, you're so tight."

"Mmm, right there…just like…_ahhh_, just like that." He fucks me hard and deep, thrusting in and out of me at a rapid pace. It's not going to be long before he has me screaming a plethora of nonexistent words.

"Fuck, Bella…so close. Come on, baby, take my cock. Take all of me. Cum for me, right now." His words flip the switch to my orgasm and I scream and spasm all around him. He grunts and I feel him spill into me. We stay there for a moment, panting heavily. His cock twitches, causing a sort of aftershock inside of me and I hiss at the sensitivity, while he laughs.

Pulling out, he stands me up on my weak legs as he tucks himself back into his pants. He takes my hand and walks me to our bedroom, as we're both completely spent and exhausted…and, well, drunk. I'm almost on the verge of passing out while standing, so Edward helps me out of my clothes, tossing everything on the floor, and we get under the sheets. Neither of us say anything for a good couple of minutes, and then Edward kisses my collarbone.

"Sorry about that, Bella. I guess the alcohol had me going a little crazy."

"It's okay, Edward. You did scare me a bit though at first. I thought I did something."

"Well, you did, technically, by wearing what you wore…" He laughs into my neck. "I didn't hurt you, did I? I know I got a little…rough…"

"No, you didn't hurt me. You did catch me by surprise, though. And uh, sorry I slapped you." I say, while trying to stifle a giggle.

"That's alright, I guess I deserved it. I was being an asshole. I don't know what came over me. I'm never that possessive."

"Well, you are possessive, Edward, but not in an overly-clingy kind of way. Either way, I had a good time tonight." _I may just be into this possessive side of him._

"Me too, baby. I forgot how much I actually love fucking you up against a wall." _Fuck._

"Mmm, that mouth of yours, Edward..."

"Yeah? You like it when I talk dirty to you? Or, no…what was the word that you used earlier? _Filthy_?"

"Edward…" I warn, but he ignores me. It's hard enough having sex once when you're drunk, but twice? Well, I guess we'll have to see.

_Round two, here we go._

.

.

.

.

.

**So, I think I'm getting more confident in my lemon writing…can we tell? Am I doing alright? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, as per usual! By the way, that 'King Dong Dildo' reference is from a story I'm reading right now. I was so curious about it that I googled it, and...it's just not pretty. Thought I'd use it as a wink to the author when she gets to this chapter ;) Polyvore links are also up on my profile if you'd like to see what everyone was wearing!**

**Sorry for the delay, I had most of the chapter written for a while, but the things I needed to add in between were causing a bit of writer's block. That, and celebrating my friend's birthday, the NFL playoffs, and dealing with a few other things on the side, I was yet again distracted. My Christmas tree is still up— what does ****_that_**** tell you? **

**In the beginning I was going to make the whole R/L reunion a big chunk of this chapter, but then I realized that since they're not main characters in the story, it would cause the plot to shift a bit in the wrong direction. I do plan on doing outtakes at the end of the story, so I'll probably do a Riley/Layla reunion outtake in Charlotte's POV.**

**And, I'm just going to take a minute to wholeheartedly fangirl over the fact that two of my favorite authors on here recently came across my fic and are reading/reviewing it! I've pimped out their fics before, but all I can say is that you need to read the works of LayAtHomeMom and DayDreamingFairy. I'm so honoured that they're reading my fic! AHHHH!**

**Okay, I swear I'm done. See you all next time!**

**A review = a sneak peek at the next chapter! (Unless you're anonymous or have disabled messaging)**


	15. She's Havin' My Baby

**-CHAPTER 15-**

**I'm back! That is, if you noticed. The author's note has been deleted and I am now carrying on with the story! **

**Sorry for the setback, my life tends to just throw these things at me.**

* * *

There's nothing worse than waking up with the feeling of being lost. That first moment of opening your eyes after a night of drinking is something I'll never get used to. You open your eyes, look around, and for that one brief moment, you have this strange feeling of…_nothing_. Everything is blank. That is, until your mind is flooded with memories of the night before, and worse, your hangover kicks in. Groaning, I roll over, not realizing that I'm sleeping on Edward's side of the bed and he's not there. Where does this leave me? Rolling off the bed and onto the floor— just in time for Edward to walk in. I pop my head up and I see him standing in the doorway. Instead of rushing to my side to make sure I'm okay, he only remains standing there, as he begins to laugh hysterically.

I glare at him and he slows his laughter down.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry…" He hesitates for a second and starts laughing all over again, bringing his hands to his face.

I sigh angrily and get back onto the bed, wrapping the sheet around myself. He comes over to sit on the side of the bed, greeting me with a morning kiss.

"It was pretty funny, Bella, come on." I can't help the smile that forms on my face. _Yeah, okay, it was._

"Doesn't mean it didn't hurt," I say humorously, rubbing my ass.

"Aww, want me to kiss it better?" He winks at me, and I consider it for a second, not going to lie.

He leans forward and gives me a chaste kiss on the lips. "So, last night was fun…"

I nod. "Yeah, it was. I can't believe that Riley made you a partner! How long have you known?"

"A while," he admits, "but he asked me not to say anything because of it not going public yet. I didn't really keep it from you on purpose, I just wanted the right moment to tell you."

"No, no, I'm not mad that you kept it from me, I completely understand. And I'm so proud of you!"

He nods with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. He knits his eyebrows for a second, staring downwards but at nothing in general. "I don't think I deserve it, though. I mean, I know that he wants me to carry on the business after he retires, but that's not for a while, and I feel like I'm too young, you know? There are guys that graduated at the same time I did, and they're still at the first stages. I feel like a dick for just climbing the ladder so easily while the others stay at the bottom…"

"Edward, you know it's not like that. Riley himself even said that from the moment he met you, he saw something in you. He frustrated you and worked you to the bone because he wanted to see what you were capable of. You surpassed his expectations and he chose you to be the one to keep the company alive. You shouldn't be thinking of the others, although it shows how sweet and caring you are, Riley didn't choose any of those guys for a reason. Clearly they lacked in what Riley was looking for; he saw it all in you. Why try and take that away from yourself? It doesn't matter if you think you're too young or you feel bad for the other guys. Riley gave you this because he trusts you and loves you, but above those things, it has nothing to do with him being biased. It's because you _deserve_ it."

He looks back up to me as if I've restored his faith. He smiles and his hand cups my face. "God, I love you, Bella."

"You need to accept that you are great at what you do, Edward." He kisses my forehead and then I get up, untangling myself from the sheets and exposing myself temporarily. I walk in the direction where my robe is hanging on the wall. I can feel Edward's gaze on me as I walk, trying to not let it affect me. Somehow, and I don't know how quickly he does it, he's right behind me, getting a good grip on my waist and not letting go. I turn around to face him, and his eyes are dark.

"Bella—"

"Edward," I giggle, "if you're going to start with _that_, can I at least eat first?"

"No, Bella…you have…bruises…all over you." He looks like he's about to be violently ill.

"What are you—"

"Look!"

When I look down at my hips, his thumbs are rubbing light circles around the bruises that rest there. _Interesting._

"I'm…so sorry, Bella. I didn't realize how rough I was last night. Oh my god, I'm so sorry…"

"Edward, it's okay—"

"No," he barely whispers, "it's not okay, Bella." He walks away, out of the room, with his hands fisting at his hair. I don't see what the big deal is. We were both drunk and it got a bit rough. Wrapping the robe around myself, I follow him out into the living room.

"Eddie, stop it. It's not that big of a deal!" I try to rationalize. But really, this is crazy. _I'm fine_.

"Bella, I hurt you. You're bruised, for fuck sakes!" I bring my hands to his face.

"Look at me, Edward. Am I bruised? Yes. Am I hurt? _No_. We had a lot to drink last night, you got rough with me, and you know what?" He shakes his head. "I _loved_ it."

He looks at me inquisitively for a second. "You did?"

"Yes, I did. Believe me, Edward, a few bruises is nothing. Stop beating yourself up about it; if anything, you marked me as yours." His eyebrows go up at that, and I think he likes that idea, as his face relaxes a bit. He exhales deeply and nods his head; he then smirks.

"You like it when I get rough with you?" I nod happily.

"Of course, Edward. The things that came out of your mouth last night, just…_unf. _I don't know, I like it when you get a bit possessive, it makes me feel good, you know? So don't ever apologize for any repercussions from a night of rough sex. That is, unless you deliberately hack me with a chainsaw or something. Then you can apologize." He cringes at my analogy and I kiss his cheek. He nods with his adorable dimpled smile and we prepare ourselves a nice hangover breakfast.

* * *

"It's New Year's Day, Edward. I don't know why you're getting frustrated at the remote. What do you expect to be on at noon?" He sighs and lands on a _Seinfeld_ marathon. It's not long before Edward and I are laughing at Elaine's obsession with sponge contraceptives, Jerry's bad luck, Kramer's energy and failed marketing ideas, and George's…entire life.

Eventually, after many episodes, the TV serves as a background noise as Edward sit and talk to each other, which is something I love about our relationship; we can just sit and talk for hours. We're both sitting on opposite ends of the couch, my feet resting on his lap.

"Just imagine the look on Emmett's face when he's told that he's going to have a daughter. Just imagine the sheer horror on his face," I say, and Edward laughs.

"Uh, doc? There's been a mistake. It's not done, there's missing parts…put it back in!" He says, trying his best to imitate Emmett.

"Oh god, what if they have twins? Twins run in your family, and I know they say that it usually skips a generation, but…could you imagine?" Seriously, though. I know Emmett would love that baby no matter what it was, but the look on his face would just be hilarious.

Edward ponders humorously for a moment. "Actually, you may not be too far off. I think it was my 2nd great grandfather that was a twin…then there were no twins after that, until Alice and I. Wow, I'm imagining the looks on their faces if they get told that there's two heartbeats."

"And then," I add, "twin girls!"

Edward groans. "Alice would be so thrilled. When we were kids, she always carried her dolls around and cared for them like they were her own sisters. She always wanted a sister, but after the two of us were born, my mother hemorrhaged badly and she and my dad decided to tie her tubes and to not risk it anymore. I guess you and Rose are the closest thing she has to sisters."

I nod. "It makes sense, plus with Rose and Em getting married, and us being together…we basically are. Wow, that worked out perfectly for Alice, didn't it?"

"Yep. I told you a long time ago, it's Alice's world, we all just live in it. We're all just merely puppets on strings in her fabulous life," he grins. He can tease her all he wants, but he is head over heels in love with his sister. He'd do anything for her, despite what he'd tell you. Actually, I remember in high school he used to scare the absolute crap out of Jasper, threatening him left and right, giving him the typical "you break her heart and I'll break your face" talk.

"So, Alice was your typical little girl then? Poofy dresses and tiaras and tea parties?"

He scoffs. "Yeah, basically. However, she did have a bit of a problem with gum. See, what happened was she had a bad habit of falling asleep with gum in her mouth. My parents kept telling her that she could choke in her sleep, but she still kept doing it. Eventually, she wasn't allowed to have any at all. So, one day she somehow acquired a pack of gum and snuck it into her room. She bought that _Hubba Bubba_ stuff, remember that? It was pure sugar and the pieces were big. She decided to be a little rebel and shove 3 pieces in her mouth. She fell asleep while reading and woke up in the morning with the gum stuck in her hair. She was so horrified and she ran screaming to my parent's room. To teach her a lesson, they sent her to school with gum in her hair, and then she spent the rest of the day crying hysterically when my mom chopped all her hair off."

I can't help but laugh, poor Alice. There's nothing more horrifying to a young girl that having her hair chopped off. Sure, we don't mind experimenting when we're older, but when you're a kid? _No, that's just a rule._

"And Emmett?"

He laughs while scratching the back of his head. "Actually, he never really had any huge issues, but my dad eventually had to have a serious talk with him because the pages of his _Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editions_ kept sticking together."

"Oh my god, why am I not surprised? How old was Emmett? Not in high school, right?" I ask. _Oh jeez, this is too good._

"Nah, he was about 12 or 13. My dad kept yelling at him that they were his collector's items." Poor Carlisle, he's always been the kind of man who likes keeping his things nice.

"What about you, Eddie? Any embarrassing stories? Any fixations I should know about?" I ask teasingly. He shifts in his seat with a smirk and I look at him, waiting.

"Well, there was one thing. I mean, you know about me and my mother's flower pots, but there's more to it. _God_, I can't believe I'm about to tell you this…" Okay, now I need to know. He can see the amusement on my face. "Uh, well, okay. I guess I should start from the beginning." I nod, urging him to continue as I reach over to grab my glass of water. _I have to hear this._

"Okay, uh…well, when I was a little boy, I had a fixation with my penis." I spit out my water, not expecting that. What the hell? Is he going to tell me that he used to draw pictures of dicks when he was a kid too? What did Jonah Hill say in Superbad, that only about 8% of kids do it? _Heh._

"Anyway," he cuts through my inner monologue, "I did. Not with like, penises in general, just my own. I don't know, I just…thought it was cool, you know? Like a sword or a light sabre. I just thought that it was the coolest thing in the world. Then one day at school, I had an accident. I was really embarrassed about it, then Emmett, in his infinite wisdom, told me that it's okay because dogs mark their territory by peeing on things or in certain places, sometimes on themselves."

I try to contain my giggles, but it's a definite fail. He glares at me playfully. "I was 4, Bella. _Anyways_, I became obsessed with the notion of having a penis, like I was all mighty and powerful like my dad and Emmett. The day when my mom caught me peeing in her flowers, my only argument was that Alice was hogging the bathroom and I was marking my territory, just like a dog_._ Alice and I were sat down on the couch that day. Me, for my obsession with my penis, and Alice, for finding my mother's makeup and caking her face in it while spending 2 hours in the bathroom."

I can just imagine the two of them sitting on the couch beside each other while being scolded.

"It was probably quite a sight. Now that I look back on it, my parents were trying really hard not to laugh. My mom even excused herself for a minute, probably to laugh hysterically into a pillow. Alice was pouting and had her arms crossed and her face was a mess. She had on the dress from Beauty and the Beast, you know that gold ballroom one? Yeah, that. And I was just sitting on the couch normally, not understanding why I was in trouble."

"Aww," I tease, "well, as long as you don't pee on me, I think we'll be good."

He smirks, which breaks into an inaudible laugh. "Bella, I have better and more pleasurable ways to mark my territory when it comes to you." My mouth goes dry at the thought, and he seems to take notice of my reaction. He wiggles his eyebrows and I roll my eyes, returning my focus to the movie playing on the TV.

Edward lets out a long sigh. He notices my staring and smiles. "I'm just trying to enjoy this while I can," he says.

"What, exactly?" I ask, my eyebrows raising.

"This," he motions between himself and I with his fingers.

"Oh, you planning to dump me or something?" He laughs.

"Ha! Hardly…I just mean that I'm going to be busy with work, you know? The building blueprints are done, now all that's left is to build."

"Wait, but all the logistics and hard parts are done…isn't building the easy part? Now all you have to do is rely on the contractors, right?"

He leans his head back on the couch. "Not exactly. Well, I guess in that sense, yes, but I still have to be on the site at all times and all of the responsibility is on my shoulders."

Guess I didn't think about that. He'd never admit it to anyone else, but he's nervous. He hates being nervous about things, and I think that's definitely a guy thing. This is his first major project, and as a new partner at that.

"It's not gonna be all that stressful, Riley will be there too." He shakes his head with a smug grin on his face.

"I highly doubt that, Bella. Ever since Layla's been around, he hasn't been able to think about much else. The guy is over the moon with happiness. He's spent his entire life working hard and hauling ass…I doubt he's going to be doing a lot of that now, considering that's what broke them up in the first place."

I hadn't thought about that. It's only been a few days since Christmas, really, and I can only imagine what's going on in that house. Poor Charlotte probably hears everything, despite how big the house is; it's all open-concept anyway.

"Besides," he continues, "he plans on taking her to Florence for Valentine's Day."

"But that's in, like…a month."

Edward nods. "I know, I know. But I know Riley, he's making up for lost time. And there's a lot of time he has to make up."

For a while, there's a long comfortable silence between us, our attention focused on the TV. There's a permanent smile on his face and it doesn't go away each time I look at him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He looks at me for a second, almost as if he didn't hear me, his smile returning.

"I was just thinking, you know…" he trails off. I move my feet from his lap and scootch over beside him, his arm instinctively wrapping around me and pulling me in close.

"I feel like good things are coming, you know? I mean, work's going great for you, you're bound to be promoted at some point soon, and Rosalie's having a baby. I've been made a partner, and my future is pretty much set. Riley has Layla back in his life, and I'm pretty sure Jasper's on the brink of proposing. He's been hinting at finding a new job, something more stable so that he doesn't have to work nights anymore…I don't know, Bella, I just can't help but think that great things are going to happen for all of us…I can feel it."

* * *

"I can't believe that Valentine's Day is already 5 days away!" Alice says excitedly. Unlike Rosalie and I, Alice _loves_ Valentine's day. We've tried, time and time again, to tell her that it's a commercial holiday that is a waste of money. But everyone knows that Alice is your typical hopeless romantic who loves the flowers and heart shaped boxes of chocolate and all that other crap. Plus, knowing how gaga she goes over it, Jasper always spoils her rotten with lavish surprises and romantic getaways. It's cute, I guess. But only because it's Alice and Jasper. If it were anyone else, I would be rolling my eyes and puking anything but rainbows for them.

"By the way, are you sure you don't mind helping me out? I know you probably want to go home and spend some time with Edward. I know he's been working a lot lately, so I totally understand if you don't wanna be here," she says, noticing the dissatisfaction on my face. She's been working diligently on her clothing line, getting everything ready for spring. Unfortunately, Rose couldn't be here because she has a quick check-up at the doctor's, and Alice needs someone to model her clothes so she can make notes in her book. Spring is apparently a big time for the fashion world, not that I would know that. According to Alice, the spring season is a time for fresh new ideas, almost as if winter was the summer vacation of all seasons. Spring this year for Alice means lots of floral patterns and bright colours. A lot of the old vintage styles are coming back, and if there's anything Alice loves, it's vintage fashion.

"No, it's okay, Alice, really. I don't mind helping out. Besides, Eddie's going to be late again tonight. It's not a big deal." She looks at me apologetically, and continues writing.

"I'm sorry Edward's been working so much, Bella. My brother's just like that, you know? When he gets into something, he doesn't stop. He's a real hard worker, that one."

My smile mirrors hers. "No, I think it's just a Cullen thing. All of you are hard workers, Alice. I'm not really all that upset, though, really. He's determined to prove himself to Riley, not that he needs to. He just doesn't want to let Riley down. Plus, he's giving him more time to spend with Layla."

"Yeah," Alice sighs, "I guess that's true too. I just know how difficult it is for you to not see him all of the time. The two of you just get miserable when you're separated."

"Allie," I giggle as I change into one of her dresses, "we're not separated, we live together! We just don't see as much of each other as we'd like right now." _And it's affecting our sex life a little tiny bit, but that's okay, I guess. Maybe, kind of…sort of. _

"Well, all I know is that when I fly to Paris or London or god knows wherever else, I miss Jasper like crazy. It's just how it is when you devote your life to another person. All of us are spoiled, really. We spend most, if not all, of our free time with our boyfriends and when that changes even a little bit, we go crazy."

"I think you have Valentine's Day Brain, Alice." She smiles, and I swear her pupils shift into heart shapes.

"By the way, when's Rose supposed to be done her appointment?" I ask, turning around so she can see the back of the dress. She writes a few notes down, scrunching her nose a bit at first, then continues to write.

"In about an hour, I think. She was telling me on the phone earlier that Emmett felt really bad that he couldn't go. Apparently he was being a little sap about it too, considering he's become this little lovesick puppy since the news of the baby and the proposal. He's apparently super busy today and wouldn't be done at the shop in time to take her. She tried telling him that it wasn't a big deal but he insisted that he make it up to her…and we all know Rosalie will take him up on that, despite whether it's needed or not. How does the neckline fit? Is it comfortable?"

"Yeah," I say, "it's not bad. A bit awkward, but it's manageable."

A few more outfits and a satisfied Alice later, we decide to drop in on Emmett and wait with him for the arrival of Rosalie. Knocking on the door to their apartment, Emmett answers in jeans and a wife beater with a beaming smile on his dimpled face. All he'd need is a hard hat and you'd have Bob The Builder.

"Hey guys, didn't know you were coming by!" He gives us both a tight hug each and a kiss.

"We just figured we'd come by and wait for Rose with you, if that's okay," I say, "we figured you could use the company."

"Yeah, absolutely! Actually, come with me. There's something I want to show you guys…" He starts to lead us to the spare bedroom and we almost trip over his giant tool pouch and a pile of broken down boxes along the way.

"What's going on?" Alice asks curiously.

"You'll see, come on!" He urges.

Before entering the room, the door opened just a crack, he stops us. "Mom and I have been sneaking around for the last little while. I've been getting Edward to take Rosie to work with him this week so I can get her out of the house. Between that and her appointment today, I was able to finish. I had to put a lock on the door, but I don't think she noticed because we never use this room."

"Emmett, what are you talk—" Alice is cut off when Emmett pushes the door open, revealing a beautiful baby nursery. The walls are painted a pale yellow, standard gender neutral colour. The furniture is all white— the crib, the armoire, the dresser, and the bedside table holding a white lamp. There's cute little pictures of animals around the room like seahorses, owls, elephants and monkeys. The nursing chair in the corner is striped with shades of pale yellows and beiges. Rosalie is going to love this room.

We both gasp at how beautiful it is, and also, the fact that _Emmett_ was behind it. Sure, he can fix your car like no other man on this planet, but decorate? _Nope_.

"Mom helped with the decorating, obviously. She went a bit crazy, but I let her because she wouldn't take no for an answer. Since we don't know what we're having, she said that we should make it a neutral room, just in case. Even when we do find out, the result could be different when the baby actually comes, so she said to steer away from too much of the definitive gender colours— not too much pink and not too much blue. Mom also said that apparently there's a way to use pinks and blues, even for a neutral room so it doesn't give away the sex completely. Here I thought that nurseries were either pink and frilly or blue and sporty. We picked out the best suited neutral colours. I just finished building the crib before you guys came. I was pressed for time because I knew she'd be home soon. What do you guys think?"

I'm pretty sure that our jaws are on the floor somewhere.

"Emmett, it's…absolutely perfect!" Alice starts tearing up and I roll my eyes on the inside. _See? Valentine's Day Brain._

"It's really amazing, Em, really," I say. "At least now I know why Rose has been going to work with Edward now."

"Yeah," he scratches the back of his head, "I asked him to distract her a bit, and I figured that she'd love to go and see what's been going on, considering it's all going to be hers. And having mom here was great. I built all the furniture and she did the decorating. Her part was done in a day. Rosie has no idea," he grins excitedly.

"So _that's_ why you made such a big fuss about not being able to go with Rose today," Alice says, lightly punching his shoulder.

Emmett nods. "Well, yeah. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to go, but I knew if I wanted to have this finished in time, I'd never get it done. I took off work, not that Rosie knows that. I'm good, aren't I?" His smug grin and bouncing eyebrows are just adorable. It's so cute how important this is to him; how important _Rosalie_ is to him.

It's not long before we plop ourselves in front of the TV, waiting for Rosalie.

"Ugh, I'm so glad that those Superbowl commercials are over. They were so stupid," Alice says, eliciting a groan from Emmett.

"Careful, Allie, Emmett's still sensitive over the Seahawks losing the divisional playoffs." I warn.

"I just don't get it!" He says, throwing his arms up in the air. _Here we go. _"They were doing so well in the first half! All of a sudden it was like they pulled back their defensive line and then just gave up. They made it far too easy for the Falcons to come back and win. They did so well in the beginning, no one expected it to turn out like that."

"Emmett," I groan, "I hear about this enough from my father, please don't start. I get that you're loyal to your team, but what's done is done! Just move on and wait for next season!"

He's been pouting since the game. He was pissed off for a good few days over the whole thing— and don't even get me started on the Superbowl. Jake hosted a party at his place for the Superbowl this year. Edward was still upset that the Patriots lost the AFC championship, but he was still voting for the Ravens, the team that they lost to. In all fairness, the Ravens just played better than the Pats, and the way that their coach, Belicheck, was acting after the game, it was appalling. We drank beer and ate pizza and wings, chips and dip…you know, the works. Much to Alice's joy, the Superbowl was an excuse to wear purple, considering the team we were rooting for. It was a good night, and the last quarter of the game was intense; we were all scared that the 49ers were going to win. It seemed like after the power outage that the Ravens fell asleep. But all was well because they still won in the end. Ray Lewis deserved his last Superbowl title, and that's all there is to it.

The boys drooled over Beyonce's halftime show, but us girls were carrying on in conversation, not interested. Honestly, I expected a lot more from her, but I will say that she looks amazing for someone who had a baby not too long ago. I don't know why, but I seemed to blink and then it was over. I don't know why her halftime show seemed a lot shorter than any other one I've seen.

The Superbowl party was also the night when Jake pulled me aside in his bedroom because he needed to talk. He told me the he and Leah had a pregnancy scare. At least I knew why I hadn't heard from him. They started fighting over it, not sure if it was what they wanted. The gloves came off, apparently, and they had their first major fight. In the end, the test turned out to be negative, and the two of them were a bit disappointed only because they love each other enough to know that they are each other's "it". He said that it's not something they're going to try and do, but if it happens down the line, they're going to go through with it. I'm so happy for the two of them. I can't help but think that if Jake and I had stayed in LA, he would have never met her.

A couple of episodes of Big Bang Theory later, Rosalie comes walking through the door. Emmett is up immediately, kissing her hello and rubbing her belly— the belly that's starting to show a bit more, might I add. Her eyes go wide at Alice and I taking up room on her couch.

"Hey guys! What brings you guys here?" She looks a little _too_ happy to see us.

"We decided to drop by and keep Emmett company and make sure everything went okay at your appointment," I say as she hugs us both.

"It went great, actually. Really great!" She puts her stuff down and sits on the couch. "The Doc said that I am 100% healthy, and I heard the baby's heartbeat again."

"Was there only one heartbeat?" I ask, remembering my conversation with Edward regarding twins.

She smirks and narrows her eyes at me. "Yes, Bella, one heartbeat. Oh, don't worry, Edward told me about your little conversation. Oh! I almost forgot, here's the photo!" She passes the photo to Alice and I, and we swoon over how much the little bean has grown. We pass it to Emmett and he kisses it. Going into the kitchen, he adds it to the collection on the fridge.

"Baby, I have something I need to show you." Emmett says, looking to us and smiling. He's so proud of himself, it's so cute.

"Oh…okay…" She says hesitantly.

"But," he continues, "you're going to have to close your eyes and walk with me. Can you do that?" She nods.

"Emmett, what are you up to? This better not be some Valentine's Day thing or else I'm going to have to knee you in the balls."

"Oh, just come on."

She closes her eyes as Emmett leads her to the spare-room-turned-nursery, Alice and I walking closely behind. He places his hands over her eyes.

"Now before you open your eyes, I just wanna let you know that I wanted to do something special for you, and this is sort of my way of letting you know that I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

She nods again, the excitement playing all over her face. Letting his hands go, he tells her to open her eyes, and she does.

He pushes the door open and she lets out a huge gasp.

"Emmett…you…oh my god, I can't believe you…" And then she starts to cry.

"Oh, baby, please tell me you're crying happy tears…" He starts to panic, but there's something men don't seem to get about women - pregnant or not, sometimes we cry when we're elated with happiness. "I swear if you don't like it, I'll tear it all down and then I'll redo it and-" She silences him with her hand on his mouth, and she smiles really big.

"Emmett, I love it! I just can't believe you did this!" She throws her arms around him and squeezes him. Emmett follows her inside the room, their fingers interlocked, and she goes straight to the crib, running her fingers over the curve of the top. She looks around and I don't think I've ever seen Rosalie this…proud? Excited? Alice and I stay outside the door and let them have their moment.

"I hope it's okay. Mom said that yellows and greens are neutrals, and she said that white furniture would look best," he says, and she nods.

We finally walk in and Rose smiles at us. "You two were in on this, weren't you?"

"This time, no," I say, "we only found out when we showed up. Turns out Emmett is quite the sneak. Esme was here for a day, and no one even knew."

"Actually, Edward knew." Emmett says, "I just figured that even though we don't know what we're having yet, we might as well start getting ready for it, you know?"

Rose stares at the crib for a minute, and up to the pictures hung above it. She seems to be deep in thought, and she looks at Emmett again.

"You know," she starts, "it's good that there's at least a little bit of _blue_ in these pictures…" she trails off, and we all look at her with wide eyes. _Wait a second…_

"What…do you mean?" Emmett chokes on his own words.

She doesn't say anything for a second, and Alice gasps. Leave it to Alice to provide the ceremonial gasp every damn time.

"Are we…" Emmett can't even seem to talk.

She smiles as tears run down her face. "We're having a boy, Emmett!"

"Wha…how…"

"I thought it was too soon too, seeing that they told me to wait another few weeks. She started laughing during the ultrasound and after I got changed she came in and asked if I wanted to know what the sex was. She said that I must be carrying a Cullen baby, because the sex was definitely easy to tell straight away."

After hearing a "gross" from Alice under her breath, Emmett hugs Rose tightly. I guess he's getting his son after all.

* * *

"_Bella…_"

"_Bella? Baby?_"

"_Bellaaa…_"

I feel myself being shook lightly and when I open my eyes, Edward's smiling down at me.

"Hi beautiful, you fell asleep in front of the TV."

"Oh, I guess I was more tired than I thought. What time is it?" I rub my eyes and sit up as Edward sits on the edge of the couch.

"It's just after 10. I'm sorry, I didn't realize I'd be home this late."

I shrug my shoulders. "No worries, I'm used to it by now."

Judging by the look on Edward's face, that probably sounded a lot more harsh than I intended.

He looks down at his hands, saying nothing for a moment. "Well, I guess I'll go have a shower then. Do you want to join me?" There's no hint of anything in his voice except guilt and hopefulness.

"No, that's okay, I'm just going to go to bed, I'm tired." He only nods and gets up, disappearing from the living room. I gather my things and move myself to the bed.

I really didn't mean for that to sound bad, but it's true. I see him briefly in the morning, and by the time he gets home, I'm either in bed asleep or just about to go to bed. He's been working hard, and I'm proud of him, but I can't help but feel a little bitter. Although, truthfully, we knew this was going to happen. It's not that he's been ignoring me or anything, it's just that I rarely see him at all during the week— weekends included.

_I guess this is how Layla felt._

I shake my head at myself and I throw that thought out of my head instantly because I know that Edward and I won't become like that.

Another half an hour later, my eyes fly open and I realize that I fell asleep again. Only this time, Edward's lying behind me and his fingertips are dancing on the skin over my pelvic bone.

"Bella, are you awake?"

"Mhm," I murmur.

"I'm sorry I've been so busy."

"It's okay, I understand."

There's a long silence as his fingers continue to caress my skin.

"We're not going to become like Riley and Layla, you know," he says out of nowhere.

"What do you—"

"You talk in your sleep, Bella."

"Oh."

He starts kissing my neck and roaming his hands all over my body. When I feel my familiar friend poking my backside, I can't help but start squirming. He grunts at my movements, moving his hands back to my hips, gripping them tightly to grind himself on me. This lasts about 30 seconds until he gets me on my back and he's hovering above me.

"Fuck, Bella. I know I've been working a lot and I'm an asshole for not spending enough time with you, but…ugh, _fuck_, I need you."

I moan in response as he kisses me.

Sure enough, he's hard as a rock against my leg and I swear I can feel him throb.

He trails his hand downwards and when he's greeted with my pool of wetness, he groans.

"Fuck, I've missed this…"

"Shit…" is all I can manage.

"I feel like I haven't touched you in forever," he whispers into my ear. It's been 3 weeks.

I reach down and wrap my hands around his hardness, stroking him lightly as he lets out a choking sound.

3 weeks since we've touched each other intimately. 3 weeks since we've had any kind of physical intimacy. He leans down to kiss every square inch of my chest, flicking my nipples with his tongue. I'm pretty sure that I'm not moaning any coherent words by now.

"Mmmf, Bella…"

Like clockwork, Edward's phone rings. He ignores it twice, and by the 3rd time, I tell him to get it. It may be late, but it's probably important. He reaches over and grabs his phone, but he hands it to me.

"I'm not stopping, Bella, so you better answer it for me so I can continue with what I'm doing." _Gulp._

"Edward, it's Charlotte."

"Answer it," he growls, and I do.

"Hello?"

"Bella? Where's Edward?"

"He's right…here," I say, as his mouth descends lower and…oh yeah, _lower_.

An alarm goes off in my head as Charlotte starts sobbing loudly. "You guys have to come to the hospital right away! I don't know what to do and I didn't know who else to call and I know that it's late but you guys have to come and it doesn't look good—"

"Charlotte!" I cut her off. "Hang on a sec, let me put you on speakerphone…okay, breathe, please…what happened?"

Edward immediately stops and sits up. He flicks the light on and listens.

"Charlotte?"

Between sobs, she pauses enough to tell us.

"Riley had a heart attack…and it's not looking good."

.

.

.

.

.

**The road is about to get a little bumpy, but this story will still remain a HEA. Every story has to have a bit of drama, doesn't it?**

**Also, I'm in the mood to pimp out a few more stories!**

**Part of Me by luckyirishtart - I love this story, it's based on the early 90's Seattle grunge scene.**

**More Than Anything by taylorishotterthanrob**

**Fame by BlueIsSoul**

**Follow The Sun by MissWinkles**

**Unbridled by AnnaKatherineC**

**As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to tell me how I'm doing!**


	16. Keep Me In Your Heart

**-CHAPTER 16-**

I hate hospitals. Being in a hospital makes me think of my mother, so naturally when I think of hospitals, I think of death. There are people dying on every floor of this place. I can't shake the eerie feeling I get when I'm here. I remember when my mother was here, Alice told me that I think about it in the wrong light— that people don't _just_ die in hospitals. Even if they are dying, there's another life beginning in the maternity ward. _It's really a beautiful thing if you think about it_, she said. Well, no offense to Alice, but I'm back to my old notions about hospitals.

It's just after 1 in the morning and we're sitting in the waiting room. Edward's got his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his lap. Carlisle is doing all that he can to help him, but we haven't been told anything since we got here. The first thing Edward did when we got off the phone was call Carlisle. He's one of the top-recommended doctors in the state, so naturally he was called by the hospital just before Edward called. He was already in the car driving, actually. He drove down here right away, and now we're playing that wonderful waiting game. That's another thing I hate about hospitals— we have to sit and wait without being told anything.

Charlotte is sitting in the last chair in the corner, her feet up on the chair next to her. Poor Layla is sipping the coffee I got her in silence. I can only imagine what's going through her head right now. The only thing I can do is be here for all of them, especially Edward. He's been working so hard, and I know he's probably thinking the worst.

"Edward?" I nudge him and he looks to his right, at me.

"It's going to be okay."

He merely nods, not so sure himself.

All of us are starting to get fidgety. Charlotte has her iPod out with one earbud in, while Layla is writing something in what appears to be a journal— nomadic tendencies, no doubt. Edward's right knee is bouncing with anticipation, and if we weren't in a hospital right now where his father is working, he'd be harassing nurses left, right and center about what's going on. My hand makes it's way to his bouncing thigh and I give it a small squeeze. His breathing evens out a little bit and he grabs my hand with his and squeezes it reassuringly.

After another hour and another coffee run on my part, Carlisle comes out, and Edward is the first to get up.

"Dad, what's going on? Is he going to be okay?"

Carlisle puts his hand up to stop him.

"Son, calm down. First off I need to know everyone's relation here to Mr. Biers. Bella?" He looks at me, as I'm probably the most collected person here. At least, that must be how it seems.

"Um," I stutter for a second, "Charlotte lives with Riley, she takes care of him. And Layla is his girlfriend."

He nods and continues.

"Charlotte, have you been the one taking care of Riley's medicinal needs?" She nods. "How long has he been on beta-blockers?"

She answers instantly. "For as long as I can remember. When I moved in with him, he was taking them sporadically. He was constantly forgetting because of his long work hours but I got him on a very strict schedule."

"And what are his eating habits like?"

"He eats healthy all the time; I cook his meals for him. Once in a while he'll have fast food, but very rarely— maybe once every few months when he wants something quick."

"Do you know anything about his family history?"

Charlotte ponders for a second. "I know his father had some heart problems, but I don't know exactly what. I couldn't tell you about his mother because he doesn't speak to her."

He nods. "And Layla? I suppose you could be of help in this instance, but can you tell me what was happening before his heart attack?"

She stares at him blankly, unclear of the nature of his question. He clears his throat, not wanting to make things awkward for her. "Were the two of you…getting intimate when it happened? The only reason I ask is because an increased heart rate could have triggered it…"

She shakes her head. "No, we weren't. I was in the bathroom and I heard him fall over. He was short of breath too."

Carlisle nods and looks to his very worried son.

"Riley's had a very serious heart attack. He's been a sufferer of HCM for most of his adult life. In most cases, HCM is hereditary. It's an issue that deals mostly with the heart muscle. The septum, which is the wall that separates the right and left side of the heart, was thickened. Because of it thickening, it causes a narrowing that can block or reduce the blood flow. When the brain reads into what's going on, it sends signals to pump faster in order to overcome it. Finally, when the heart can't handle anymore, the septum gets completely blocked and causes the attack. His blood pressure is pretty high also. Riley is still alive, but in a very fragile condition. Once we stabilize him and get him fully awake for more than mere seconds at a time, we'll talk about surgery."

"Can I see him?" Edward asks immediately.

"He's barely able to stay conscious, Edward—"

"But I have to see him, dad. He's like another father to me, I need to talk to him—"

"Edward," Carlisle narrows his eyes at him. "I understand your concern, but you need to understand that you can't just barge in and see him. You need to relax and wait with everyone else."

"But dad—"

"No, Edward, and that's final. Now, I can let you know when he's awake and able to have visitors, but until then, _cool it._" I can sense the fatherly tone in his voice and Edward immediately backs down. Whether he likes it or not, this isn't Carlisle's hospital. He has rules to follow too. Carlisle smiles sadly at me and nods before he takes his leave.

Edward sits down and puts his hands in his lap once again. I sit down beside him and put my hand on his, stroking the top with my thumb. His head leans down onto my shoulder and he relaxes a bit. _I wish there were something I could do._

"You're here, Bella. That's more than enough," he says. I wasn't aware that I said that out loud.

"Eddie, do you want to go for a walk? Stretch out your legs a bit? Maybe we could grab you something to eat?" He thinks for a second and then nods, as I pull him up with me.

* * *

"I just wish he told me he was having issues, you know?" Edward says as we walk down the hallway.

"Yeah, but you know him. He didn't want to worry you," I say.

"It all makes sense now, though— making me a partner, making sure I knew the ropes…he knew something was coming. He needed to be sure that the company would be safe in my hands. I'm so stupid, I should have thought more of it. I guess I was too excited over everything…but like I said, it all makes sense. When I took you to his place the day you met him, he looked off. Charlotte was finishing his sentences as if she was covering for something, you know? I felt odd but I thought that maybe I was just crazy."

I remember that day. Charlotte seemed as though she had jumped in to save him every time.

_"It's not me, Edward. This is all Charlotte. She's a phenomenal cook. She's been taking care of me since—"  
"—since he can't cook for crap! Seriously, he can barely prepare a bowl of cereal without setting off the fire alarm!" _

"Edward, he's going to be fine. He's going to have surgery and then he's going to go home."

"Yeah…" he trails off and looks out the large glass window.

"Baby," I rub his shoulder. "Talk to me, please…" _Please._

"I don't want to lose him, Bella."

"Edward, your father was called in to help. They literally have the best doctors in Seattle monitoring him. I don't see how anything could go wrong."

He nods. "You're right. Positive thinking, right? I mean, hey, in a roundabout way, you kind of know about these things…"

"Just be positive, Edward. You think he wouldn't fight for his life? He's a strong man, and even more, the woman he loves is by his side. He's too stubborn to give up now!"

_There's that beautiful smile_. "Thanks, Bella. I love you. And I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?"

"You _know_ what, Bella. I'm sorry I've been an idiot and spending all of my time at work."

I shake my head. "Edward, I was being a little dramatic. If it were _that _big of a deal, I would have said something. It could be worse, you know. I could be suspicious of you fucking your secretary or something…"

He snickers at my joke. "If I had one, then that would be valid, I suppose…"

"Yeah," I add, "that's all I'd need. My boyfriend's one flaw: not being able to stay away from hot secretaries."

His laugh is infectious, and I'm glad that I can make him laugh like this. "I do need a secretary, although any secretaries that I'd hire would be the type I'm not attracted to…you know, just in case…" He says as he pokes me in my ribcage.

"_Har har. _No, but seriously, Eddie, it's not that big of a deal. I'll survive."

He's not giving in. "Bella, Riley warned me about this. This is how it starts. Sure, it's not a big deal right _now_. But a year from now you'd think differently. I won't do it again…I'll change the hours around if I have to, but I'm not going to lose you on account of my stupidity. No more long hours, okay?"

I nod in understanding. "I mean, if you have to stay late then that's fine, I'd just rather it not be every night _and _weekends, you know? But…ugh, Eddie, I don't wanna be _that_ girlfriend."

"Bella, what do you think makes me happier: my job or you?" He asks, I assume rhetorically, and I smile at that. He taps the tip of my nose with his index finger.

"No more weekends and no more late nights past 5 pm, okay? I promise. Plus, I think if I had to go another 3 weeks without having sex with you…well, I'd end up in a straightjacket with a complimentary padded room."

"Oh," I say sardonically, "you were keeping track too, then."

He smirks. "Oh, you can bet on it, baby. I'll have you screaming again in no time."

He pulls me in for a hug and he kisses my forehead. I guess on some deep level, it bothered me. Maybe I _was _just afraid that we'd end up like Riley and Layla. When I look up into his eyes and he looks down into mine, that's all the reassurance I need— _we're going to be okay_.

* * *

Making our way back to the waiting area, I'm glad I could bring Edward's spirits up a little. Sure, I wasn't about to tell him that I'm scared as shit too. After losing my mother _and_ Edward…you can't exactly blame me for having my doubts. And I'm not going to make Edward feel worse by a) agreeing with him and b) voicing my cynical thoughts. Hearts are a dangerous thing to play with; I can only hope that Carlisle can help him, otherwise I don't know what's going to become of Edward…and _Layla_.

Charlotte calls us from the end of the hall, motioning for us to come quickly. "Riley's awake!"

Layla's already sitting beside him, her hands in his right hand, joyful tears streaming down her face. Charlotte is standing at the other side, smiling brightly.

"Hey guys," he says when he spots us in the doorway, "didn't mean to frighten you."

Edward waves him off. Relief is washed all over his face and his glowing smile is back.

"Nah, don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're okay."

"Guess I wasn't ready to clock out, heh," he chuckles, shooting a slight pain up his chest as he winces.

"Riley," Layla scolds, "you know what Dr. Cullen said. Try not to laugh, it could put strain on your heart."

"Pft," he spits, "honey, if I want to laugh and be happy about being alive, then I'm going to do it!"

Seeing him glow like this is really incredible. The man looks proud as if he cheated death. _Well_…

We hear Carlisle clearing his throat behind us, and we turn around.

"Edward, Bella…can I talk to you in private for a second?" We follow him out into the waiting section, his face looking perplexed.

"What's going on, dad? He looks like he's doing better already—"

"For now, Edward," he says, as Edward's face drops significantly.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't want to do this in front of Charlotte and Layla. Well, for starters, it says on his file that he refuses to undergo a blood transfusion in the event of him losing blood during surgery. Losing blood is never something that we can guarantee, so he's already gambling with his life. Also, the surgery itself is a risk."

Edward narrows his eyebrows in confusion. "How much of a risk?"

"The tissue around his heart muscle is not only thicker than normal, but his heart is getting weaker."

"So does that mean that he's eligible for a heart transplant?" I ask.

"Technically, yes, but given his age, we're not sure if it would help— he may suffer from an organ rejection, and then he'd go into cardiac arrest. We could perform a Septal Myectomy, which is where we cut the enlarged muscle in order to restore the blood flow, and we'll hook him up to a bypass machine. What the machine does is it takes blood from the body, adds oxygen, and then it pumps the blood back through the body, so that the blood doesn't go through the heart or lungs."

"Okay…" Edward says, "why are you telling _me_ this?"

Carlisle puts his hand on his son's shoulder. "Because on his file, it says that you're his decider, if anything goes wrong."

_What?_ Edward suddenly looks as though the wind was just knocked out of him. I definitely wasn't expecting that.

"In his file it says that he doesn't want a blood transfusion, no matter what. That's his only wish. He's leaving any other decisions up to you. You're going to be signing as his witness, or on his behalf, depending on how things go. Don't worry, Edward. This means that he really trusts your judgement."

I can see the tears in his eyes threatening to come out, and I grab his hand. Carlisle switches off Dr. Cullen mode and comes into full-on father mode.

"Edward," he says, "from what I can see here, he's going to be okay. I promise that we'll do everything that we can for him. I know you're scared, and you don't think you're the right person for this, but I do. Don't worry, son, this is my job. The only way that something would go wrong is if one of our doctors messes up, and that won't happen."

Edward nods, still hesitant.

"I'll draw up the paperwork, and we should be able to prep him for surgery for as soon as tomorrow morning. Luckily we've addressed the issue right off the bat, so there's no need to keep him here for a few days to observe and monitor him. I'll see you guys in a little bit, okay? Go spend some time with Riley."

And we do.

* * *

**EPOV**

"Ladies, do you mind if Edward and I have a moment alone?"

The girls leave, but not before Bella asks if I'll be okay. She's been so great. I can't imagine I'd be this calm if she weren't here.

I close the door behind me as I move to sit beside Riley.

"Alright, Ed. Let me have it, come on." The smirk on his face is threatening to come out but I can't bring myself to smile.

"Riley, this is serious. Why didn't you tell me that you were having health issues? Do you not trust me?"

"Trust you?!" He asks, which could almost pass for yelling. "Son, I think we both know that I trust you, considering you're the one who's going to be making any life decisions on my behalf." He pauses for a moment, and continues. "Kid, you're the closest thing I have to a son. You've been there for me more than anyone else at the firm. I made you a partner and I'm leaving the company to you if something should happen to me…but something tells me you're still not convinced you deserve it. What do I have to do? Purchase billboard ads?"

I sigh, loudly, running my hand through my hair. He can sense my frustration but he doesn't stop.

"You know, you once told me that it upsets you that Bella doesn't see herself clearly. You would go on and on about how beautiful she is, but she doesn't see it. That she thinks she's just a plain jane and that there's nothing really special about her, right? Well, that's how I feel about you, kid. You were made for this career. This time it's _you _who doesn't see _yourself _clearly. Stop denying it and accept who you are. I wouldn't have put you through the ringer if I wasn't completely sure you'd come out without a scratch. If I'm telling you this, and if Bella keeps telling you this, and I'm sure your father does too, then what more reassurance do you need? I'm putting my life in your hands, Edward. Trust me when I say that you've not only earned my trust, but you've made me as proud as a father would be of his son. Carlisle is lucky to have a son like you. If I had a son, I would hope he'd be an exact replica of you."

I don't notice the tears running down my face until I feel them drop onto the top of my hand. I wipe them away and sniffle a bit too.

"What if something happens, Riley?" I say lowly, slightly above a whisper. "What _if _you don't make it out of here?"

"Then I die, Edward, it's that simple— no, don't you scoff at me, I'm serious. Dying is a natural part of life, Ed. You can't stop it, even if you'd like to. If it's my time to die, then it's my time. I'm not going to lie on this hospital bed before going into surgery with worry clouding my head. Why? So that worrying is the last thing I feel before I possibly die? No, I'm going to be thinking of sitting on a beach somewhere beside Layla with flowers in her hair, sipping margaritas with the stupid little umbrellas in them. I'm going to be thinking about the day I met her, the first time I kissed her, the first time I made love to her, and more importantly, I'm going to marry her when I get out of here. That's what's going to be on my mind. If it so happens that I don't make it out of here, then at least I'll have died with those happy thoughts in my head.

"May I make a suggestion to you?" He asks after a moment of silence. I nod for him to continue. For someone who's going to be "fine", he sure has a lot to say. _Now's not the time to get cynical, Cullen…_

"Marry her."

I gulp at his words, and I'm not even sure that I heard him right. He can see my confusion, so he repeats himself.

"Marry Bella, Edward…I'm not saying to go out right now and tie the knot, but I'm just saying…do it. You may not think you are ready, but I can see it on her face. She wants it all with you. What if something happens one day and you can't? You don't want to end up like me, Edward. And I'm not saying to marry her just to secure yourself. Do it because you are running out of reasons why you shouldn't. Take it from me, my biggest fear is not only not getting out of here, but…" He starts choking up, and I'm having a hard time not choking up, myself. "…I just want to be with Layla forever. I just got her back, Edward. I don't want to leave her now…"

He finally lets out his fears and worries and I hold his hand as he cries.

"My baby. I don't want to leave her again. I left her once, and it's taken the rest of my life to get her back. I just want to be with her forever. I regret it all, Edward. I regret neglecting her and making her lose the baby and…God, Edward, don't be like me. Immerse yourself in Bella— let her know that she's your world. Life's too short, son. That's the best advice I can give you…you know, in case I don't make it out of here."

I continue to cry with him, and his words surely hit me. He'd never let his true emotions out to anyone else.

_I almost fell into that— I almost went down that path with Bella._

My heart drops at the thought of us not being together because of me; to think that we'd be in Riley and Layla's position…it sickens me. _I won't let it happen._

"Can you do me a favour?" Riley asks.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I want to talk to Bella. Can you send her in here?"

**BPOV**

Layla and Charlotte don't have much to say while we wait for Edward and Riley to be done talking. It's not an uncomfortable silence, but what could I possibly say? '_Oh, everything's going to be fine, you guys.' _I mean, I really don't know Riley all that well, aside from what Edward's told me and the handful of conversations we've had. I really wish that there were some way that I could comfort them. I wish I knew them well enough to know _how_.

"I think he's going to be fine," Charlotte blurts out, as if she's trying to reassure herself. Whether her outburst was accidental or not, the elephant in the room has disappeared.

"I really hope you're right, Charlotte. I don't think I have the strength to be away from him again…" Layla says, sadness clearly in her tone.

"You won't have to be," I say with a smile. She smiles back at me, clearly grateful for my comment.

"Bella?" Edward calls out to me, poking his head out from the doorway. "Riley wants you." _Me? Why?_

Entering the room, I'm greeted with a warm smile. The fact that he can be this elated after what he'd just gone through is amazing.

"Hey there, girlie. Have a seat."

Hesitantly, I sit down. He notices my puzzlement and chuckles faintly.

"Relax Bella, I'm not going to bite you…not _hard_, anyway," he says as he winks, and as they do when complimented, my cheeks flame up instantly. _Always such a charmer, I can't help it._

"There's that beautiful blush, just like Edward describes…listen, in all seriousness, I wanted to talk to you about something." I nod my head, letting him continue.

"Bella, I've been sick for a while; longer than I can even remember. I'm not saying that something's going to happen with this surgery, but I'm just saying that, in case something _does _happen, that I need you to make sure that Edward's going to be okay. I know that you obviously will, but I just want to state my case. If something happens to me, he's going to be a mess. He's so young and he's going to be lost for a while. I just want you to make sure that he doesn't get too lost, ya know?"

I nod, again, keeping a smile on my face the entire time, but Riley doesn't buy it.

"Cut the face, Bella. It's okay to be afraid for me."

My face relaxes as a tear escapes and rolls down my face almost immediately after the words are out of his mouth, as if my tear ducts needed his permission.

"Why don't you want a blood transfusion, Riley? It could save your life…"

"Bella, call me old fashioned, but I don't exactly revel in the notion of having someone else's blood in my body…" I go to comment and he puts his hand up to stop me. "With that being said, I also feel like there would be no point of wasting good blood on me when there are other people out there who need it more than me. I'm an older man, Bella. What about the children who need it to live? What about the people who are too young for it to be the end? Don't waste it on me, Bella. My heart's too weak and too old for it— give it to someone who needs it."

My tears fall harder as he reaches out to stroke my hand with his soft and gentle fingers.

"You're so…noble. You have got to be the most unselfish person I've ever met." I barely whisper to him, and he smiles.

"It's basic logic, Bella. There are people out there who's lives have just begun. I've lived my life, let them have a turn. Can I ask you for a favour?"

"Of course," I say, wiping the tears away and attempting to compose myself.

"If something should happen…can you give something to Edward for me?" He points to the drawer beside him, and I reach over to open it. Inside, resting on a King James bible, is an envelope with Edward's name on it.

"I trust that you'll give it to him when the time is right?"

I take it out and fold it and put it in my pocket. "I will, I promise. However, don't expect me to hang onto it for long. After your surgery, I'll be putting it back into your hands," I say to him, pointing my finger at him explicitly.

He snickers and holds his arms out for me as I stand and lean forward to give him a hug. Kissing the top of my head, he whispers, "Edward is a lucky man to have you, Bella. I hope I'm around for when you two get married."

I sniffle and he pulls away, wiping my tears with his hands. I can't shake the feeling that he really believes that this is the end for him. I feel like this is the last conversation I'm going to have with him. Confidence has nothing to do with it this time. Of course, I don't voice that thought, and I really hope that's not the case.

I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that the world isn't ready to be without Riley Biers.

* * *

"Go home, Edward. Go get some rest, and come back when the surgery's done. Riley's asleep now and there's no point in you two sitting here exhausting yourselves when you could be at home. Charlotte will call you when everything's done." Carlisle puts his hand on Edward's shoulder, like he did earlier on tonight.

After much encouragement from Carlisle, Charlotte and Layla, we reluctantly head home for a nap. After much tossing and turning, Edward is laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. I shift my body closer to him as he takes the hint and lifts his arm so I can fit right in. We cuddle together in silence, both unable to sleep with a dark cloud of worry above our heads.

"Talk to me," I whisper as his fingers lightly ghost up and down my arm. He doesn't speak at first, he only continues what he's doing as if it's the only thing that will help him.

We lay in silence for what feels like an eternity, until he finally responds.

"I'm scared."

I hug him tighter as his grip tightens on me as well. All I can do is say the one thing that he may need to hear— the one thing that no one else would probably ever say to him, honestly.

"Me too."

* * *

The rays of sunlight poke through the blinds of our window, effectively landing on my closed eyelids, signifying a new day. I awake with a new-found confidence, as if today is going to be a good day. This morning has all the ingredients of a metaphoric movie cliche— the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and at any moment I can imagine Stan Smith busting through our bedroom door singing the theme song to American Dad— _"Good morning, USA…I got a feeling that it's gonna be a wonderful day…"_

Looking at the clock on the table beside me shatters that illusion real quick, as the bright numbers tell me that it's after 1 pm. _Well…shit_.

I stretch, while unintentionally shifting in a way that wakes Edward up. On his stomach, he turns his head to face me. He looks up at me with his beautiful eyes and he smiles. I think he can feel it too.

Before I can make a cheesy comment on how perfect Edward looks in the morning— er, when he wakes up, my phone rings._ Charlotte. _For a brief moment, I wonder why she's calling my phone and not Edward's, but at the same time I reach for the phone in haste.

Upon answering the phone, I can't decipher what she's saying, nor can I make out whether her sobbing into the phone is from joy…or sorrow.

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Ah, cliffies are fun, aren't they? Well, at least for the writer. Please don't kill me. You can, however, let me know how I'm doing and leave a review. Killing me will only earn you no more updates, ever, so... **

**Let it be known that I know absolutely nothing about heart surgeries and being a doctor. I read up on the heart condition and I'm going by the facts I was presented with, as well as what I've heard from doctors personally (heart problems run in my family). **

**My grandfather died last April, so I guess this chapter is a sort of dedication to him. The conversations that take place with Riley are loosely based on conversations that we had with him. He did, in fact, refuse a blood transfusion and made my father promise to uphold that, even if it resulted in his death, which, in the end, it did.**

**Now that this is updated, I'm going back to my other story, Butterfly, and it should be updated soon as well. :)**

**Okay, one more thing: I recently came across a story that I fell head over heels in love with, and I think you all need to read it— ****_Bad Habit: Book One_**** by AmeryMarie. Apart from the amazing writing style, the author has a great taste in music and uses just the right songs to convey a specific emotion. I got so into the story the other night that I didn't notice that the sun was coming up!**

**Anyways, thanks for reading, see you next time! xo**


End file.
